Title: Civic Duty
Disclaimer: The West Wing belongs to Aaron Sorkin. Snood belongs to Dave Dobson. What happens when the two collide…that's just my mind having fun.
Author's Note: I really feel like this story is a few years late, but...I'm gonna post it anyway. The only thing setting a time is that Sam hasn't left yet. Other than that,it's just a fluffy piece. Also, the plot revolves around the awesome game Snood. There are certainly spots that you'll appreciate more if you're familiar with the game, but you can read the story without knowing anything about Snood. At least I think you can.
Civic Duty
Josh sighed, bouncing in his chair. It was a rare slow day, and while he knew he should be relishing it, he was simply bored. Looking for something to do, he wandered into the bullpen. Donna was sitting at her computer and, for the fifth time that day, jumped at his presence. Her screen flickered, and whatever had been on it disappeared, replaced by her standard desktop before Josh could see what it was.
Josh raised his eyebrow in interest, then grinned. He'd found his entertainment. He returned to his office and stood just inside the doorway, watching as Donna stopped tracking his position and turned back to her computer.
"Oh, Donna," he called out, causing her to jump and knock over a cup of pencils.
"Yes, Josh?" she replied, trying hard to be casual. She struggled to return all the pencils to their place as Josh walked over, leaning on her doorjamb.
"It's time for you to fess up," he said quietly.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, annoyed.
"This morning, every time I've walked by, you've been jumpy and fidgeting. So confess. What are you doing that you shouldn't be doing?"
"I have no idea what you mean," she claimed.
Josh laughed incredulously. "Donna! You might think you're being subtle, but you're not. You're doing something on your computer that you don't want anyone to see." Donna gave him a guilty look. "Is it internet porn?" he wondered.
Donna's guilty look turned to one of exasperation. "Josh!"
"You can tell me."
"It's not porn," she huffed.
"Okay," he said dramatically as she glared at him. "You know, I should yell at you." He sat on the edge of her desk to look down at her. "You obviously haven't been very productive. You're wasting important time."
"If today were so important, you wouldn't be sitting around thinking of ways to bug me."
"I'm your boss. It's my job to bug you."
"I don't think it is."
"Well, I know your job isn't to mess around on your computer. And you know that too. So why are you doing it?"
She looked up at him and gave in. "I know I shouldn't be doing it…I just can't stop. It's addicting, Josh."
"You're addicted to internet porn?"
"It's not porn!" Donna yelled, drawing some attention from the bullpen.
"Inside voice, Donna," Josh smirked.
"Shut up," she returned, pushing up from her chair and walking away.
"Wait, Donna." Josh caught her arm. "If it's not porn…what is it?"
"Snood."
Josh frowned. "Snood?"
"Yes."
"What's Snood?"
"It's a game."
Josh snorted derisively. "That's what this is about? A stupid game?"
"It's not stupid! It's Snood."
"So you've said." Donna sighed and sat back at her desk, clicking her mouse and returning the game to her screen. Josh blinked at the array of shapes and colors jumbled together. "This is it?"
"It is," Donna answered.
"What do you do?"
Donna turned to her game to demonstrate. "These things are Snoods. We want to take these Snoods on the bottom, here, and shoot them at the other Snoods. When at least three of the same Snoods are connected, like this—" she shot a Snood, "—they fall. The goal is to clear the whole screen."
"You call that a game?" Josh sneered.
"Yes," Donna sighed.
"It's a simple, mindless…there isn't even a plot or any meaning."
"We can't all be Dungeons and Dragons nuts, Joshua."
"Hey, I didn't…I hardly even—Sam went to a camp!"
"Okay," Donna grinned.
"Where'd you find this thing anyway?"
"My cousin Julie."
"You have a cousin Julie?"
"I've told you about her!"
"Have you?"
"She's a senior in High School? She's going to go to Notre Dame next year, and you told the President and he wrote her a letter congratulating her?"
Josh squinted, thinking hard. "I…sort of remember that."
Donna sighed. "Anyway, she went to visit there this weekend, and they showed her Snood. And then she wrote me an e-mail and told me about it."
"And…you find this amusing? You've really been spending all morning shooting little shape-y things at other shape-y things?"
"Snoods. And there's more to it than that. There's a strategy. Each level's like its own puzzle. And then there are the actual puzzle levels."
"Okay, so you have to think about where you're going to shoot these…'Snoods'. Big deal. You said you were addicted to this?"
Donna gave up, turning back to her game. "It's all over the college campuses, Josh," she said with her back to him.
"And as disturbing as it is that the next generation of America is so easily entertained, I'm more concerned about you, a government employee, playing this. I mean, the idea that a member of our staff is distracted by…" Donna banked a shot off a wall and knocked a large chunk of the Snoods out. "Whoa," Josh said, stunned.
"I know," Donna nodded with reverence.
"That was…how'd you do that?"
"Snoods hold each other in place. If you remove the Snoods above, the Snoods below will fall down, because there's nothing to hold them."
"So, if you use that purple one you have coming up, there," Josh pointed, "and shoot it up at those purples there, the green and blue ones will fall too?"
"Yeah, assuming I aim right," Donna smiled, quickly doing as he suggested. She shot, knocking the others off.
"Great," Josh whispered enthusiastically. He proceeded to watch quietly as Donna finished the game. She then entered her name for a high score. "There are scores?"
"Of course."
Josh looked the scores over. "How come some of these are in the thousands, and some are only hundreds?"
"I didn't win those. I just started on Easy, I've been playing Child."
"'Child'?"
"It's a level," Donna explained.
"For children."
"No. It's just called child because it's easier than Easy. There are less Snoods, and you can use the aimer."
"What's the—" before Josh could ask, Donna had opened a Child game. There was an X on the screen that moved as Donna moved her mouse. "That thing tells you where the Snoods are going to go?"
"Yes. See, you're getting the hang—"
"That ruins the whole point!" Josh angrily interrupted. "If you know where the Snoods are going to go, you don't have to give it any thought!"
"That's why this is the Child level, Joshua."
He thought that over. "Okay. But then you shouldn't be playing it."
"It was just to start. It gives you a feel for the game. Like training wheels."
"I don't need training wheels," Josh puffed. "Here, let me play one of those other ones. I'll beat your crappy scores."
"I thought this was a waste of time?" Donna wondered.
"Like there's anything we need to do. Lemme play!"
"Fine," Donna grinned, standing and letting him into her seat.
"But, uh…why don't you keep watch? Warn me if Leo's coming."
TBC...