(We fade in on Raven, playing a new RPG. She looks mildly frustrated, probably mostly because of Sephiroth hovering behind her.)
Sephiroth: Magic! Magic! Use magic, you foolish woman!
Raven: No! Attacking is fine!
Sephiroth: He'll counter it! Just watch! You'll be sorry!
(Raven, ignoring Sephiroth, uses the attack command and destroys the last monster.)
Raven: See! I told you! Saves MP points!
Fawkes: -laughs-
Sephiroth: Oh, shut up. My way would've been a better choice, it would've gained him magic experience.
Raven: But his attack animation is so sexy. *_*
Sephiroth: Yeah, and what's he got that I don't?
Raven: He DOESN'T have your loud mouth, at least.
Sephiroth: Which probably means he doesn't have any personality.
Raven: I can bring him here and we can find out!
Fawkes: -laughs-
Sephiroth: ...Shut up.
(Raven, meanwhile, is fiddling with the buttons on all her videogame systems, trying to replicate the accident which created the Ramble Realm and brought subsequent characters along. She prompty gets a nasty static shock as she attempts to press the buttons and whips backwards, holding her fingertips.)
Raven: Ow! -she tries again and is shocked once more, then attempts again and is also shocked- Hey! That hurts!
Sephiroth: -snickers and looks at Fawkes- How long do you figure this will take her to figure out?
Raven: Figure WHAT out?
Sephiroth: Oh, nothing. Other than the setup being rigged to keep you from zapping new people in here on a whim.
Raven: Rigged?! Who rigged it?
Sephiroth: Not allowed to tell. Scout's honor.
Raven: Scout's Honor? From you? You've got to be kidding.
Sephiroth: Well, of course, but it's amusing to watch you flail and get flustered.
(Raven grumbles, walks to a plant in the corner, reaching behind it and pulling out an odd-looking gun. Sephiroth looks at her, bewildered, and Raven fires it. Sephiroth is promptly incased in a dodecahedron-shaped stasis field, completely immobilizing him, and of course, shutting him up. Raven smiles, puts the stasis gun back and sits back on the couch, continuing her play.
Several minutes later, Hunter walks in through the front door, duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He pauses upon closing the door and looking into the main room, seeing Sephiroth encased in the field. He walks forward, puzzles, and taps on it.)
Hunter: ...Did someone shoot him with the stasis gun?
Raven: Uhm... no. I think he was playing with something and accidentally froze himself. He'll be fine, won't he?
Hunter: Sure, if the stasis field goes away. Otherwise we've got ourselves a silver-haired statue. -Hunter grumbles as he slips around one side of the field, walking towards the stairs- He sure picked a hell of a place to decide to freeze himself. Any idea why he's got such a bizarre look on his face?
Raven: No... >_>
Hunter: Eh, well. I'm gonna go do some laps in the pool. Feel free to come get me if Godzilla rampages or something.
Raven: If Godzilla rampages?
Hunter: Sure, why not. It's not like this place is safe - Crystal getting kidnapped was what made Dauragon install all the security measures, after all. -he pauses- Say, didn't one of the emergency weapons include a stasis gun?
Raven: I don't think so... <_<
Hunter: Ah, well. Can't remember everything.
Raven: Uhm, no, of course not. ^_^;;
(Hunter eyes Raven a bit oddly, then shrugs and walks down the stairs. Moments later, Zell enters the mansion. Through a window.)
Zell: -at the top of his lungs, from a room neighboring the main- Who's in the house!? My buddies in the house?!
Raven: -jumping, frightened, and dropping her controller- Oh, no you don't. I've already had enough of that today.
(Raven goes for the plant in the corner again, pulling out the gun and waiting for Zell to walk through the doorway. She fires upon his stepping into sight, also incasing him in a field. She puts the gun away again and returns to her game. A few minutes later, Irvine walks in and also catches sight of both the frozen Sephiroth and frozen Zell.)
Irvine: Ah, do I want to know what happened here?
Raven: I think a spell misfired.
Irvine: A spell? That freezes people in funny-looking boxes?
Raven: Yeah, a spell. >_>
Irvine: Well, didn't catch me or you, so I think we're alright. Anyways, me and Reno are gonna go throw a party - is that case of beer we had a couple days ago still there?
Raven: Yep, and untouched.
Irvine: You're lovely, darlin'. -he kisses her on the cheek, and heads for the fridge, getting out the case of beer- Don't get yourself zapped with one of those spells, alright?
Raven: Don't worry about me, Irvy, I'll be just fine. ^_^;;
Irvine: Good to hear. See ya later, babe. -he takes a hand off the case long enough to tip his hat and wanders out the door-
Raven: -sighs in relief- He's cute, but he's not the sharpest knife in the box...
(A quiet hour passes for Raven, at which point Hunter wanders up the stairs, in a damp bathing suit with a towel slung over his shoulders and duffle bag in hand. He nearly wanders by without saying anything, but notices Zell now frozen as well.)
Hunter: Whoa, wait a minute. What happened to Zell?
Raven: -staring straight ahead at the screen and not daring to look at Hunter- He, uhm, played with the stuff around Sephiroth. And he shot across the room and froze. >_>
Hunter: Wait, wait, Zell "played with the stuff?" Stasis fields don't just perpetually generate around whoever touches them!
Raven: Maybe it's not a stasis field? <_<;;
Hunter: No, no, I recognize that stuff. It's a stasis field, alright. Did something happen you're not telling me?
Raven: No, of course not. Really! ^_^;;
Hunter: Honestly?
Raven: Yes! Yes!
Hunter: ...Did you shoot them with a stasis gun?
Raven: Yes! I mean, no! No, no!
Hunter: ...You shot them with a stasis gun. -he groans, and puts his hand over his face- Why hasn't anyone but me figured out you should never have weapons?
Raven: It's Sephiroth and Zell! I didn't hurt anything!
Hunter: But why in the world did you shoot them?
Raven: ...They're Sephiroth and Zell?
Hunter: I'd like to counter that, but I'm not sure I can. -he looks at the screen- By the way, you probably shouldn't use that. You'll get yourself killed.
Raven: Shush! I can play my own game! -she selects the action she was planning, and promptly misses and gets her party killed- ...>_<
Hunter: Told you.
Raven: Shush!
Hunter: -shrugs- Okay.
(Hunter wanders off to go shower and dress back in normal clothes, and Raven goes back to her game. A half an hour later, Hunter comes back to the room, finding Raven at the same boss fight. She's having trouble again and looks frustrated.)
Raven: Hey! Darn it!
Hunter: Huh, that looked like it hurt.
Raven: I'll show him!
Hunter: I hate to say it again, but that's gonna get you killed. Better pick something else.
Raven: Shush! I told you already I can play the game myself! -she picks the option, it fails to work and Raven promptly loses again- ...>_ Hunter: ...D'you ever think that maybe high levels of intellectual combat are the wrong sort of games for you?
