-Browser Pone Safari pt.2-

>You wait 'till he finishes his match, then give a meaningful cough
>He turns around
>"Yeah?"
"I don't mean to sound, like, mean, but is this all you do all day?"
>He sighs in a way that indicates he's been asked that very same thing before
>"Yes. And I'm a big boy now, and can make my own decisions, thankyouverymuch."
>He turns back to the screen
>Sigh
>This is gonna take a while
>You ponder what to say for a bit
"Are you happy with the way things are in your life?"
>He doesn't answer
>You know better than to push more
>It hadn't gotten you anywhere earlier
>Instead, you hop onto the bed - which looked to be a foldout couch - and lay down, considering what to do
>And already you're bored
>You flick your tail
>Nothing but this, day in,day out
>How does he stand it?
>You're pretty sure this kind of existence used to be a form of torture before people started enjoying it
>Or something
>You don't even know
>You're pretty sure Anon doesn't seem like he's a happy guy, though
>Like, not just introverted, but actively miserable
>So maybe you'll be his manic pixie dream girl
>Hah!
>Aren't MPDGs supposed to be nice and quirky, though?
>Also, preferably not horses
>Anon spins his chair around, seemingly done playing
>"Now that I can answer without letting my K/D ratio drop into the yawning abyss of distraction...no, there are a lot of things in life that aren't the way I wish they'd be. Sunlight is annoying and does nothing but cause screen glare, people around me IRL are vapid, shallow twats who worship celebrities, reality tv and televised sports, my friends online are whiteknighting dickbags who don't know how to take a joke, and I'm honestly in pretty fucking bad shape - not to mention, I've yo-yo'ed in weight so much I have stretchmarks over all of my body like I'm some kind of hyperpreggo chick - imagine what that does to one's self-image."
>He pauses to catch his breath
>You have to admit, you're a bit uncomfortable, and your face twists into a sympathetic grimace
"I...yeah, that doesn't sound entirely pleasant."
>Oh good, you're so articulate and understanding
>He gives you a weary look
>"It's surprisingly tough living outside the norm; that stifling social contract we all get drilled into us all of our lives, but at least you can be yourself and do what you want."
"I...don't have much previous life experience to draw upon, but...well, you've said yourself that you're not satisfied with how things are. Where is it you want to be, and what do you want to do?"
>"Fuck, I don't even know, but there's got to be something beyond this. But...well, where would I go, what would I do..who would I do it with? I haven't the slightest, but I know that I kind of need a kick in the ass, and someone to be with - a link to the rest of the world you want to be melodramatic."
>He looks..
>Pathetic, but in a sad way
>And he just bold-facedly admitted to why he brought you here and asked for help
>You almost have to give him kudos
>You settle for giving him a grin, though
"Kick in the ass, eh? I can do that"
>You wink and laugh
>He seems mildly amused and somewhat relieved
>You reach out a hoof for a shake
"We gonna try our hand, hoof, whatever, at being buds?"
>He nods and shakes your hoof
>"Heh. You're the first friend I've had in quite a while, so this is gonna take some used to."
>You shrug
"I'll be nice, so do the same and we'll be alright. Now...I hate to sound like a cunt, but mind having a wash? Then we can head outside for a bit, reacquaint you with the outside world and social interaction. I promise we'll try and make it as good as we can, no worries, 'kay?"
>He groans a little, then nods and heads to the bath
>He's clearly not enjoying being bossed around
>Tough shit, he admitted he needed to be
>You wait while he showers
>You browse for things to do in the local area
>You suppose this needs to be done gradually step by step
>Get him used to being outside
>'course, you'll probably try mixing in things he likes too, to make it more bearable
>Speaking of, you're probably gonna want to get to know him better, even though you feel you've got a helluva vivid first impression
>You figure he likes games, though, maybe there's potential for socialization there
>You can hope
>You hear the shower turn off
>That was fast
>Or maybe you just got seriously caught up in thought
>Anon eventually reappears, thankfully fully clothed and shaven
>"Acceptable?"
>You nod
"Yep. So now it's time to head out. Haven't set a route, per se, but I was hoping we could stop by Poole park - funny name, actually, considering they haven't got a pool - but anywho, yeah, you know where that is?"
>"I do, although something tells me you do too."
"In theory. It never hurt to have an experienced local with you. Especially not when, you know, you're new to that entire world."
>You give him a cheeky smile
>Actually, you know precisely where it is - but you wanted to check if he was familiar with that place. It might help in easing him out into public
>It sounds like a sound theory, at least
>You head out after him
>As the door out opens, you feel a cool breeze, as well as a blinding sensation
>Sunlight
>Okay, you might need shades or something
>Still, the warmth is pleasant
>You fill your lungs with the fresh air and nearly bounce after Anon
>He clearly has an aura of 'let's get this shit over with' around him
>You smile up at him
"You holdin' up alright?"
>He grunts and shrugs
"Okay, so that's a 'not really'. Hm. Well, would you mind telling me a bit about yourself? After all, we've known each other less than a day."
>As the two of you walk, you notice he seems uncomfortable around people
>To be expected, really
>"Well, what is there to tell? I'm a big fat nerd in every sense of the word.-"
>Funny, your records show that 'nerd' pretty much ceased having any kind of meaning or usage decades ago
"So yeah, I like games, as you can probably tell, and sci-fi and my japanese animes. Actually, speaking of games, we should be back by 5PM, I've got a raid scheduled for then, and I can't let the core group down, they'd be lost without their trusty DPS. Oh and yeah, I'm actually not that big of a cape comics guy, although Sandman and Preacher are pretty good, if really fucking old. I would say that about The Walking Dead too, but fucking hell, that shit threw thermobaric warheads on the metaphorical zombie fire. I have no idea how zombies got so fucking popular and burnt into our mainstream culture, and I wish I could personally castrate Max 'zombies are the goddamn apex predator' Brooks for writing that cunting survival guide."
>He keeps on rambling for a while
>By Jobs, you just triggered a wave of the legendary nerd rage, as far as you can tell
>Hey, at least he's talking
>Although his lack of volume control nets him some annoyed looks
>You, on the other hand, the literal unicorn, generally don't get even a second glance
>Shit, people will get habituated to anything
>Crazy, jaded people
>Anon slows down a bit, taking a breather
>He's stopped talking, but does look a bit better, somehow
>Not to brag, but having someone to talk to probably helps
>"I don't suppose you have a lot of likes or dislikes yet, being, well, new to this world?"
"You're sharp. I like that. And yeah, that is the case, although I am noticing that being outside is more pleasing than being bored inside."
>He nods, and you walk in silence for a bit
>You decided to pipe up again
"Actually, it's really fascinating, being here, developing and exploring myself. So, you know, uh, thanks for having me"
>You grin sheepishly
"Okay, yeah, I know I'm not like incredibly eloquent or anything, but I do hope my point comes across."
>"Mhmm"
>He manages to make that little utterance sound kind of smug
>Heh, at least that means he's somewhat self-assured
>You do eventually reach the park
>People are buzzing by
>Well, seems like you hit during peak hours
>Oh well
>You and Anon sit down at one of the picnic tables
"So! You said you'd been here before. Any mem-I mean, anecdotes?"
>Good going, you almost rudely pried into personal matters
>His face tells you that he noticed
>"Nah, not a lot, though I used to come here with my parents when I was a kid, though. Well, they dragged me here to try and socialize me with other kids. I had my nose buried in my H3DS. Sometimes I'd manage to get along with the other kid - usually if it was just me and them - but for some reason, maintaining contact was kind of a problem. Although, I suppose trying to befriend kids now would result in a heavy tazering."
>You nod, enjoying both the weather and the talk
>You get an idea
"Say, mostly unrelated, but are you interested in Pen and Paper RPGs?"
>"I...yeah, though, what brought that on?"
"Well, I made an association with parks and LARPing, which usually springs out of a previous interest in PnP RPGs on beforehand."
>He raises his eyebrows a bit
>"Huh. Fancy that."
"Anywho! I figured you might enjoy finding a group to play with? Bound to be at least some groups in a town this size, right? So it couldn't hurt to try, yeah?"
>He grimaces a bit
>"Well, I suppose not."
"Great! I'll run a search."
>You do
>You have to admit, browsing feels a bit odd.
>Which is odd, considering that's your purpose