InsaneJournal

Day 13
Who: Claudia and OPEN
What: Discovering Laser Tag
When: Day 13, night time
Where: Somewhere in the Illusion City
Rating: PG, for now.
Status: Incomplete

Yesterday, there had been candy houses and large snakes and little miniature soldiers that could be directed to fight each other. But Claudia, not a real child, despite her guise, had found this all rather disturbing. In the end, she had settled for playing game after game of chess. It was a suitable game, in her mind, challenging and not grotesquely unrealistic or colourful, as some of the games she saw were. It was a game of strategy and symbolism, and the mature woman inside of her enjoyed it greatly. Were she not on her own, she might have been convinced to try some of the more childish games, that, in all truth, she had looked upon with longing eyes. She had even decided, as she settled in for sleep that morning, that she would ask Faith to play with her, the next day, assuming that the setting would be the same.

When she awoke this morning, it was not. It was dark and there were unnatural neon glows everywhere, that frightened her in a strange way, and in another, reminded her of the amusement park. Which hadn't been so bad, especially when her new guardian had shown her the joys it could produce. And, as she was handed a gun, she was sure, that, were Faith here, the Slayer would tell her to 'find the fun'. But there simply didn't seem to be any fun to be found.

What was this device? She watched with a child's curiousity and a vampire's eye as others shot each other. She figured out exactly the way to press the trigger, imitating it all easily. But why? What purpose was there to sending light at another being? It seemed to easy. Point, shoot, score...If she had thought from a human's perspective for a moment, she might have realized that indeed it was a challenge to hit another being with speed, agility, and aim. For her, it was nothing. The accomplishment she saw someone take from a high score simply bewildered her. She looked with a detached, pitying eye, thinking that anyone who found this sort of achievement joyous must indeed have a dull life.

Then it happened. Someone shot her. She blinked and looked to the culprit with wide blue eyes. Who would dare? And why did she find it so...annoying, to have been hit? Why, it was because they had won over her! She, who was stronger and faster and in all meanings deadly, had been hit. It was just light. But it was symbolic, just like chess. Suddenly, it all made sense, and on pure instinct, she narrowed her eyes, aimed her gun, and shot back. And then, the child vampire gave a laugh of happiness. There it was. Fun.