Author Topic: "Batting" Practise (Ty) (Read 283 times)
Aaron Silverman
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 "Batting" Practise (Ty)
« Oct 26, 2015 22:47:37 GMT -6 »
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WHUD

WHUD

WHUD

It's an odd noise to be ringing across campus, as if something very small is moving at very high speed only to abruptly stop when it meets something very, very solid. It wouldn't be hard to trace the noises to the baseball field on campus, where a very futuristic pitching machine - frankly it looks more like a railgun on a tripod, and each ball is announced with an ominous whirr that fills the air until it's fired - is atop the mound and hurling fastballs with far more velocity than a non-meta pitcher could manage. In the batter's box stands Aaron, dressed a little bulkier than his usual because of the cold, a hoodie with its hood pulled up and warm jeans. When the ball is fired, his shadow takes solid form and leaps up - or at least fires part of itself up - to block the projectile, leaving it to fall harmlessly to his feet if successful. Sometimes he misses - wind blowing the balls a little off course, or simply not bringing up the shadow fast enough - and the ball smashes into the backstop instead; there's a small hole in the fence where one fastball blasted clean through, only stopping when it hit a tree several yards away. That's why he made sure nobody was around here before starting the exercise.

WHUD

After a few misses he stops one again, his shadow slinking back to the ground. When he tried this against that Legion bot, he was too slow, but if he could get this reaction consistently fast enough, his own shadow could become a very useful shield on missions, able to react whenever he needed it. Just had to get the reaction time down, and well, this pitching machine on steroids is probably firing balls at him faster than most attacks coming his way would move.

Aside from maybe, you know, bullets. But he's not having those fired at him for practise, he's not crazy.

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 "Batting" Practise (Ty)
« Oct 26, 2015 23:02:58 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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Aaron notices the balls are starting to come faster!

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« Oct 26, 2015 23:09:12 GMT -6 »
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He misses the first one because the faster speed caught him by surprise! Especially since they were already coming in faster than any non-meta could throw! He compensates with the next ones by calling up his shadow slightly earlier than he has done before. Knowing the timing of the pitches feels like cheating, because the point is to simulate attacks suddenly coming at him, but since they're coming in faster he has to start reacting earlier.

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« Oct 26, 2015 23:17:51 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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Even faster! It continues until it's almost rapid fire!

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« Oct 26, 2015 23:23:27 GMT -6 »
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Aaron is quite alarmed by this, because that shouldn't be possible! Not without manually adjusting the speed, at least! He tries to keep up as best he can, but if it starts getting too fast for him he'll turn the raising bit of shadow into a solid wall over the plate, to weather the storm and stop any of them from getting through and possibly breaking free like the one that left that hole in the fence.


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« Oct 26, 2015 23:46:19 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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It stops!

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« Oct 26, 2015 23:48:46 GMT -6 »
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Out of balls, maybe...?

That was weird. Aaron moves his wall to right in front of the machine in case it goes haywire again, and trots up to the mound to investigate!

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« Oct 26, 2015 23:55:14 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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Smart! When he goes to investigate the wall is pelted with balls again!

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« Oct 26, 2015 23:58:03 GMT -6 »
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Aaron is less surprised this time, because he was kind of expecting that. Keeping the wall up, he rushes up to the mini railgun and flips the "off" switch!


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« Oct 27, 2015 0:57:42 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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It shuts off!

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« Oct 27, 2015 1:01:10 GMT -6 »
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Goddamn thing. Aaron mutters to himself and empties out the balls left in the machine, carefully, just in case the thing decides to wake up on its own.

Then he looks around for any sign of what the heck could have happened there.


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« Oct 27, 2015 2:10:40 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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When Aaron is finished unloading it, he sees Silas lounging on a bench just outside! Arm stretched over the back of it, looking at Aaron!

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« Oct 27, 2015 2:24:51 GMT -6 »
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Aaron looks back, unsure what to say just at this moment!

He's not stupid, something tells him this guy might have had something to do with the machine going crazy. Or maybe the weirdness of that episode has him feeling suspicious of the guy who just sorta suddenly appeared.

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« Oct 27, 2015 21:06:13 GMT -6 »
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Silas certainly doesn't say anything either! He just keeps staring!

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« Oct 27, 2015 21:19:34 GMT -6 »
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Aaron stares back! Long enough for the silence to get slightly awkward.

"Can I help you?"

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« Oct 27, 2015 21:43:05 GMT -6 »
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"No."

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« Oct 27, 2015 22:00:23 GMT -6 »
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More silence!

"Was that you messing with the machine, then?"

Aaron's... not angry, maybe a bit annoyed. More curious.

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« Oct 27, 2015 22:33:34 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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"Yes."

Still staring.

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« Oct 27, 2015 22:34:47 GMT -6 »
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"Why? You could've warned a guy first."

That's a joke.

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« Oct 27, 2015 22:36:51 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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"That wouldn't have been a very good test."

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« Oct 27, 2015 22:38:28 GMT -6 »
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"So you wondered how I would deal with it, basically."

It's a good thing Aaron had been able to adjust to the initial surprise.


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« Oct 27, 2015 23:29:06 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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"Yes, let's go with that."

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« Oct 27, 2015 23:31:44 GMT -6 »
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"You say that as if there's something else."


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« Oct 28, 2015 0:21:31 GMT -6 via the ProBoards App »
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"I was also trying to just hit you with baseballs, because it would be amusing." He admits casually, throwing up a hand.

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« Oct 28, 2015 0:26:48 GMT -6 »
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"You'd have been better off throwing one yourself, if that's so."

Given he was standing in the batter's box and the machine was firing balls right over the plate. Completely deadpan about the fact this stranger wanted to pelt him with baseballs and possibly injure him.

"Is that how you usually greet people, then?"


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