[SCENE] Jacques, Diego and Mimi: An Aahnruhd threesome. Gone horribly wrong.
Jacques: *It's mid-afternoon, and after a trip to the computer lab, Jacques is out in the yard of the prison with his new set of Aahnruhd balls. He's glanced over the directions, and the four wooden stakes are set up in the grass according to one of the sample diagrams in the game's instruction pamphlet. He's been practicing for the better part of 30 minutes now, and he takes up a ball marked with a star, giving it a strong roll towards one of the stakes as he waits for someone to join him* Hah!
Mimi: *She runs down the prison steps and down the hall that leads to the yard, her bag of Hazelnut Castles in her hand. She squints getting an eyeful of sunlight as she runs outside, peering around for a moment before spotting Jacques* Hey, J, I'm here!
Jacques: *he knows there's only one person who calls him such a nickname, so he's not surprised when he turns and sees Mimi approaching* Mimi, there you are. *and he notices the bag of candy in her hand, with a grin* And you brought your candy! *there's an unspoken request for a piece in that statement*
Mimi: Sure did. *She smirks, seeing him eyeing the bag. Deciding there's plenty left she plunges her hand inside, fishing out one of the individually-wrapped candies and tossing one to him.* Enjoy that--it's the only one you'll be getting today!
Jacques: *catches the candy, and chuckles as he unwraps it* Still insisting that we play for keeps, are you? I don't want to make you hand over the whole bag, you know! *but his eyes widen just slightly as the chocolatey treat hits his tastebuds, clearly savoring its flavor as he chews it* ...on shecond though'. *he finishes it off with a competitive smirk* Maybe that's not such a bad idea.
Mimi: Good, huh? But I won't be handin' over anything! *She seals the bag back up.* Just watch me, J. I'm gonna clean your clock!
Jacques: If you say so! *he motions to the small pile of equipment in the case that the game set came in* Grab a ball! Do you know how to play?
Mimi: *Clueless, she walks over to the pile and does so, weighing the ball in her hands.* Yeeeeeeah, I have no clue. Like, wanna run it by me again?
Jacques: *a brief roll of his eyes* Alright, well, it's pretty easy with two people. See those four stakes? *he stands by her, and points* What you wanna do is roll your ball to hit one, and make it bounce off to hit another one. Like this! *with an easy bowling motion for tutorial's sake, he rolls his ball forward; it hits the closest stake to them, and ricochets at an angle to bump into the next one over* See? That's one point!
Mimi: Oh okay, easy enough! Like, how many of these things do we roll to, like, see who wins? Three?
Jacques: ...uh. *rather than consult the instruction booklet, he responds with what would make sense to him* Let's do first one to ten this time.
Mimi: Points? Okay, cool. *She bends slightly, cupping the ball in both of her hands before thrusting them forward. The ball bounces once before hitting the stick closest to them and then rolling back in their direction.* Darn. Okay, that was like, a practice roll.
Jacques: *he laughs, confidently* That's not going to win you your candies, babe! You have to think angles, like in pool. My turn! *he rolls his ball again, a little harder than before, and it bounces off the first stake into the same one as before-- which makes him subtly scrunch his nose, because he was aiming for a farther one* That's one more for me.
Mimi: *Wrinkles her nose, a determined look on her face.* I got this. *Attempting a new strategy, she shifts her ball to her right hand and rather than rolling it, she tosses it several inches into the air. It flies past the first stick but surprisingly, it bounces off one farther away and rolls into another with a light tap.* Haha! One for me!
Diego: *When he enters the rec yard, he spies Jacques and Mimi almost at once. He walks towards them unhurriedly, watching them play, and doesn't speak until he's almost upon them.* You two look like you could use some help.
Mimi: *Cringes upon hearing the familiar voice.* Oh, perfect. *thinking to herself: He invited HIM?*
Jacques: *he's about to wind up for his own shot, but when he hears the voice he turns, and faces Diego with a grin, mildly surprised to see he actually showed up* Well well, look who made it!
Diego: That's right. I said I'd stop by. *he shakes his head at them both.* That's not how you play the game. *he leans down and picks up the third ball* You need me.
Mimi: I don't, like, remember the rule book saying we needed an overly-caffienated ex-attorney to play. *Scowls, neglecting to mention she didn't read the rule book herself.*
Jacques: *he laughs, having almost forgotten the bitter sentiments between his two fellow inmates* Now now, Mimi. He's right! The rules do mention it being played with a third player. And here's to assuming he's already read the rules. *glances at Diego to confirm, moving his own ball to his left hand so he can give a thumbs up* You'll be our usher, then?
Diego: *his reply to Mimi is a brief, scornful laugh.* I always read the rules before I play. *he nods at Jacques* That's right. You can't play a proper game of aahnrühd without an usher. I'm sure Jacques and I would rather not play the version intended for children.
Mimi: *Glares at him* The number had nothing to do with difficulty!
Jacques: Right! *a glance at Mimi, his brows furrowing in a slightly apologetic way as he corrects her* Actually, his role's a bit different! While we're rolling to hit the stakes, his job is to roll his ball and prevent us from scoring. That's how he'll get points.
Mimi: *crosses her arms, struggling to keep the thought of "The most annoying role, totally appropriate!" to herself* ...fine, fine.
Jacques: *gives her a nudge with his elbow* Hey now, just have fun! It's only a game. *like he's one to talk, being so competitive himself*
Mimi: *grumbles* I'm fine, J.
Jacques: ... *breaks the tension with a bright grin* Well then! Now that we're all set for a proper game, shall it be my turn? *he looks to Diego to see if he'll be ready*
Diego: *nods, ball in his hand, his body tensing.* I'm more than ready.
Jacques: Alright! Here we go! *his game face is on as he scans the stakes, and glances to Diego briefly before he swings his arm back with a motion that looks like he might bowl it-- but he swings his arm sideways instead, throwing his ball through the air with a considerable force in the direction of the farthest stake*
Diego: *he lets the ball fly almost at once, but he falls for Jacques' feint, and their balls miss each other. Jacques' goes on to hit the stake, then bounces off of it and hits another. Diego doesn't mind the miss, dashing for his ball and catching it up before it rolls too far.* Point, Jacques. *He turns to Mimi.* The usher calls the plays, in case you didn't know. So--it's your turn.
Jacques: Haha! *a triumphant grin, even if it was only one point, and he struts over to retrieve his ball before stepping out of the playing field, and looking to Mimi* You're up!
Mimi: Goody. *She rubs some dirt off of her ball in an attempt to make it so it'll roll farther if it hits a stick. She eyes the stick farthest to the left and moves a few steps to the right, glancing in Diego's direction for a moment.* Annnd... *She draws her arm back* Now! *She purposely holds back her throw as she attempts to fake Diego out as well.*
Diego: *he moves immediately, seeing through her ruse. He tosses his ball and knocks hers neatly away from the stakes, so that it rolls off without hitting anything* I think that might have been a little advanced for you. Maybe stick with the basics next time. *he circles to pick up his own ball but leaves hers for her to get.* No point.
Mimi: *mumbles under her breath heatedly* Damn it. *She shuffles quickly over to her ball and back.* Your turn, J.
Jacques: *takes his place besides Mimi, deciding to shoot from there* Better luck next shot, huh? *flashes her a grin to try to quell her case of the grumpies, before turning to the field and sizing up his next shot; he lines it up in his mind, and sends his ball flying into play, using the same motion as he did before, but aiming for a different stake-- a closer one this time*
Diego: *having learned Jacques' trick, he's ready this time, and his ball meets Jacques' midair. The hit doesn't prevent Jacques' ball from hitting the stake entirely, but it changes its course enough so that Jacques doesn't manage to score.* Ha. No point.
Jacques: *rather than be sour, he finds Diego's skill level to make for a better game-- that, and he's got confidence in his currently leading score* Ha! Not bad, not bad. *he retrieves his ball with time, and stands back to the side, glancing to Mimi to watch her next try*
Mimi: *The tension in the air lessens for her seeing Jacques smile, but not enough to make her forget her candy's future is in her hands. She tries to decide which sticks she should go for next, muttering to herself.* Okay, I got this. I totally got this. *She steps to the left, attempting a different angle this time. Turning her toes toward her chosen target, she releases the ball in a rather fast bowling motion.*
Diego: *he shoots towards her ball, but misses this time, though it doesn't bother him. Mimi's ball hits a stake, then bounces off at what seems like a wild angle--but the ball actually hits a farther stake. He laughs.* There you go, sweetheart. I'll give you that one for free, since you need the help. Two points.
Mimi: *Growls, one of her hands curling into a fist as she retrieves her ball.* Oooh, lucky me. *Doing her best to ignore him, she smiles at Jacques.* Be careful which direction you flash those lucky smiles of yours, J~.
Jacques: *raises his eyebrows as he realizes they're suddenly tied, and his grin is only slightly more forced than before* Yeah... Good shot there, Mimi! Now, let's see... *determined to come out ahead again, he takes a moment to figure out his next move, slowly learning the strategy involved in the game. He makes a brief note of where Diego is standing, and makes his next throw with a quick motion.*
Diego: *he's ready for Jacques this time, warming up to the rhythm of the game now. He knocks Jacques' ball aside with a smooth throw, laughing.* Not fast enough, this time, Jacky. Come on, you don't want to get beaten by a little girl, do you?
Mimi: *Grits her teeth--Armando is really beginning to try her last nerve.* Grrrr...
Diego: *smirks at her*
Jacques: ...ha ha! *now his grin is very forced* Don't jump to conclusions there Diego, we've still got game left. *but his competitive nature is visibly a bit frustrated, and he jogs to his ball, scooping it up as he moves to scout the field again, much less concerned with Mimi's turn than before*
Mimi: Careful, J, I'm going now, okay?
Jacques: *he glances up at her just briefly, then back to the stakes, working out angles in his head* Mmhm.
Diego: *He's already retrieved his ball, and he speaks to Mimi in a condescending tone* Remember, I call the plays. *smiles at her and shakes his head.* Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon. No point for Jacques. Now it's your turn. *he hefts his ball* Not that you'll score a point this time.
Mimi: *Her temper getting the best of her, she momentarily loses it.* Well I'll have a good chance... with you out of the way! *She launches the ball straight for him-- it spins as it flies through the air.*
Diego: *as he has his eye on Mimi and is already crouched, ready to spring and shoot, he's equally ready to jump back out of the way. Which is exactly what he does, quickly enough that he avoids the blow. As he does so, he makes a slight, surprised noise.* What--?
Jacques: *he hardly has time to react as he looks up just in time to see a ball flying directly his way-- just below waist level. Unfortunately, the heavy projectile hits its mark dead-on. He looks about like he's been shot as his eyes snap open wide with the hit, and he all but collapses, falling to his knees with a pained look on his face, and a rather un-manly wail as his hands fly to cover his crotch* AAANNNNNgghhhhh...!!
Mimi: *Her mouth drops* Oh jeez! *She runs past the somewhat surprised Diego to Jacques' side* J, are you alright?! Oh man, I'm so sorry!
Jacques: *manages to squeak a reply* Fine...! *he doubles over, falls forward, and curls into a ball on the ground*
Mimi: *Her formerly red face pales to a fishbelly white.* Oh my God, no you're not! Hang in there! Hey!
Diego: *to Mimi, anger rising in his voice for the first time.* What the hell was that?
Mimi: *looks back over her shoulder at him with a scowl* I dunno, maybe you could call it karma?
Diego: Karma? Do you even know what that word means? *he takes a step closer to her* You tried to hit me with that ball.
Mimi: You're the one who doesn't know when to give it a rest! Besides, it's not like I aimed for, like, any "fatal" areas.
Jacques: *his voice is more of a groan than anything* I beg to differ...! Ooooh god...
Diego: *ignoring Jacques* "Fatal areas"? I thought you were supposd to be a nurse. Not a very good one, it seems. You can seriously injure someone like that. What's wrong with you?
Mimi: Hey, I aimed higher than that! *placing her hand on her hip* I had, like, a perfect throw and then you dodged and it lost its height! What harm could a little girl like me do otherwise, huh?
Diego: *stands facing her, his voice still angry* It doesn't matter where you aimed. It doesn't matter if you're a little girl. You lost your temper and resorted to violence. And for what? Over a game? Because I teased you?
Mimi: Don't give me that "sportsmanship" crap. You knew exactly what you were doing "teasing" me. You've done it, like, oh I dunno, almost every day?!
Diego: You make me sick. Once again, you blame your own actions on someone else. This time, it's me. I wonder who it'll be next time? You're the one who threw that ball.
Mimi: Yeah, and it's too bad I didn't hit you, 'cause maybe that would, like, have knocked you off your high horse! I don't know how you can breathe all the way up there!
Diego: If someone's saying things you don't like, you ignore them. You don't throw things at them. Maybe you really are a child. I'm starting to feel sorry for you. But I won't, because I think that's what you want. For people to feel sorry for you.
Jacques: *he writhes in his pain for a moment while the pair argues, but he soon finds it in himself to lift his head and look at them, trying to catch their attention* G-guys-- *his speech is still strained, and there are subtle tears gathered in the corners of his eyes* C-can I get a little help here...?
Diego: *gives a start, as if he'd almost forgotten about him.* Jacques. I'm sorry. *he kneels down beside him.* I'll get you some help.
Jacques: *as miserable as the look on his face is, he somehow manages half a grin as he lays there with his hands still jammed between his legs* ...maybe some ice?
Mimi: Hey, wait! I'm the one who nailed him. I'll stay with him, why don't you go get one the nurses here, Armando? You know where the medical ward is, don't you?
Diego: I'm not going to leave him lying here on the ground with you. I'm going to take him to the infirmary. *to Jacques* Do you think you can walk?
Mimi: *cuts in* Look at him, you think he can walk all the way there? No way!
Diego: I just wanted to know if he thought he could get up. Sometimes the pain doesn't last that long, if it's a minor injury.
Mimi: Didn't you just say I could have seriously hurt him? That's like, rule numero uno: never test it if it's a possibility! These types of...um...injuries weren't my nursing forte, but that rule still applies!
Diego: I was trying to figure out how bad the injury might be by asking him about the pain. Maybe you remember that from nursing school?
Mimi: That's a paramedic job, not a nurse job! We smile, bring the meds, do prelim exams and keep paperwork. Anyway, I like, worked at a surgery clinic, not a hospital!
Jacques: *he wiggles a bit to see if he's up to walking himself-- and quickly decides that's a no, for the time being. But his next groan is more from frustration than from pain, his head falling back to the ground with a dull thud as he watches the two start up again.* Yeah, guys, real helpful... *he mumbles under his breath* Real helpful.