Throwing donut after donut into the 'Big Donut' emblazoned paper sack with little care, Lars peered over the counter at Steven - as well as Pearl and Amethyst, two thirds of the 'Crystal Fems'. Giving the trio a quick once-over, the brash clerk strode back to the counter, crossing his arms. "So what's in that bag, Steven - some dorky doll, lame trading cards.. eh?"
Rolling her eyes, the purple Gem slammed a fist down on the counter, giving the teen a particularly vicious stink eye. "Stop being such a butt, or I'll - hey -!" Steven quickly pulled her back, laughing nervously. "No, no, it's fine, Amethyst - look, Lars!" He reached down into the plastic bag he clutched tightly, pulling out a sealed copy of a particularly colorful looking video game. "Check it out - FELINE FRENZY FOUR! You play as this - heh heh - cool cat Felix as he saves the world! He has a lot of cool powers - super jump, razor sharp claws.. and he can dance /REALLY/ good. It's so much fun!"
Lars stood there, unimpressed, looking all of the three Gems for a brief moment - a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead as he caught the glare of both Amethyst and Pearl. Shaking his head, he peered back down to Steven. "Tcch - that game is for babies, dude. It's all about Reign of Death Six!"
A groan leaving Pearl, the pale Gem rolled her eyes, arms crossed. "Steven, let's go." "No, I want to hear about this - Lars has good taste. What's it about?"
"Well, it's made by the dudes who did Heartstoppers - and it's like ten times better than that."
"What's the story?" Steven asked, his fellow Crystal Gems both shooting glances at each other - barely holding back their slight frustration as the conversation went on.
"Well, uh.. okay, there's these bad guys and.. it doesn't matter. You shoot them with all kinds of guns - kill 'em dead, dead, dead! There's executions, flamethrowers, buckets of blood and guts - and the coolest multiplayer ever! Tcch - not like you're old enough. It's a /mature/ game for /mature/ people - like me!" He stuck his tongue out, laughing a fair bit, Steven looking quite perplexed.
"Alright, that's enough -" Amethyst growled out, slamming a few crinkled bills on the counter, snatching the bag in a sweeping motion as she turned around, stomping out. " - Steven's way cooler than you! C'mon, dude, let's go - I'll be the second player." A bright grin filled Steven's face, stars in his eyes as he quickly hurried after Amethyst. "Awesome!" Pearl remained there a moment.. pivoting around as if to exit with her fellow Gems before stopping right at the exit. "You two - go along, I'll meet up with you. I have some strong words to pass along to this youth."
Chuckling heartily, Amethyst left with Steven - the redheaded teen gulping as Pearl strode back towards his counter. "H-hey, hey, listen - I'm sorry, lady - I was a little harsh, I know, my ba-" The lean Gem cleared her throat, interrupting him, fury in her eyes.
"Listen here - Reign of Death Six is a creatively bankrupt title. There is not an /ounce/ of heart in that mindless product - it is needlessly gratuitous, and perpetuates all manner of horrid stereotypes!" Shaking almost violently as she spoke, Pearl balled her fists up, glaring to Lars - a very, very concerned expression filling his face.
"Wha - hey, hey, ah, I don't -" "The weapon selection is abysmal. There are only four maps and three game modes. It is not balanced! It has a poor community. There is no map editor, and the frame rate is sub-optimal!" Sighing deeply, Pearl bowed her head, looking back up to Lars with a slight glare. "Be polite to Steven, please." With that, she pivoted and left, arms crossed behind her back - leaving Lars standing there dumbstruck, mouth agape.
Lars still standing there in shock, Sadie returned from the back room, yawning. "Were Steven's friends here again?"