Humans scare the hell out of the others around them playing a Dungeons and Dragons tabletop game. -- Anon Guest
"Fireball. Just fireball. Only fireball," recited Human Lars. Ze was doing a funny voice.
"I'll take 'memes from the dawn of time' for five hundred, Alex," quipped Human Oish. He was evidently playing with several oddly-shaped solid objects.
"Just flakkin' roll an attack," sighed Human George. Ze had hir head on the table. "I wanna get something flakkin' DONE this sesh. Powers damn it y'all are annoying sometimes."
"Have something to eat," said Human Hao as ze handed over some food on a stick. "You're always hangry in hour two."
Human George mumbled something incomprehensible around hir snack.
"You're welcome," singsonged Hao. "So. Lars. Flakkin' do something your character can do, or skip your flakkin' turn before George starts throwing dice at you."
"Awright, awright, awright. I'm'a use Sharpshooter and your Guidance with my Scope of True Seeing to try and hit the big bad square between the eyes." One of the little shapes tossed against the tabletop scattered with tiny objects. "NAT TWENTY!"
"Like you needed the help from all those other things. I swear to [EXCREMENT] that die is loaded."
"You roll it then."
George picked up the duodecahedron and set it tumbling on the table. "Five," ze announced.
"Will of the dice," said Human Kim, behind one strange triptych of cardboard. She sighed and said. "Roll your ding-dang damage, you lucky SOB."
"Of course they'll all roll high," grumbled George.
"Have another snackie," said Hao, handing one over.
Companion Cher had been watching, but not understanding, for at least half an hour. Hearing the Ships' Humans in varying aspects of agitation had initiated their curiosity and protective instincts. They had believed that meaning would become clear, but... it was not evident yet.
"What are you doing?"
"It'sh a game," said George around hir latest mouthful. "We're makin' up a schtory as we're goin' along. Big adventure in a pre-spaceflight, high-magic society. If Lars can finish hir flakkin' turn."
Lars rolled more shapes. "That's a full spread of random numbers. Do you believe I'm not cheating yet?"
"No," growled George.
"Why?" said Cher. "This is... low tech. You could have virtuality experiences far in advance of this."
"Imagination is way more fun," said George, in spite of evidence to the contrary.
[Photo by Carlos Felipe Ramírez Mesa on Unsplash]
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