Misato continued to fight against herself. On the one hand, she was furious Asuka stormed out of Lecter's office. However, the rational part of her knew that such a scene was more likely than not. Once Asuka came out of the office, she pushed two chairs together, laid down, and refused to speak to anyone.
If Asuka doesn't talk for another minute, I'll have to remember to bring a jacket to hell. Misato was starting to get used to driving on the right-side, at least enough to where she could glance back at her sullen charges.
"What are you guys thinking for dinner?" Neither looked up. "I don't care as long as it's fattening." She said turning to them and winking. "Oh, c'mon Asuka, I know you have a preference. What sounds good?"
Asuka perhaps realizing Misato would not stop pestering her until she gave some type of response finally indulged her guardian. "I'm not hungry."
"Okay then...Shinji what'll it be tonight?"
"I...um don't care whatever you want."
"Well, you guys are no fun," She kept her voice light. "Let's see if we can fix that!"
Misato regretted not stopping as soon as she had her idea for the evening to identify where they were going and then actually get directions. Someplace fun was all she kept saying to herself. After it became clear to the passengers in the car that there was no end in sight to the endless driving around one spoke up.
"Um, Miss Misato where are we going?" Shinji asked.
"Like I said, it'll be someplace fun," Misato smiled and decided to half-lie. "We'll be there in just a few minutes." She was too committed and stubborn to concede her lack of planning and ask for directions, a fact Asuka finally had enough of.
"Cut the crap Misato, and just admit you don't even know where we're going, much less how we're gonna get there. Just Pull over and get it figured out!"
"Fine, fine geez." Misato wanted to say more but caught herself before she could make Asuka more upset. Look at me showing restraint. Despite her earlier hesitation, she finally pulled over and selected a destination.
As expected on a Tuesday night the crowd was light. The prices were much heavier. Not that Misato cared about the cost of this trip. She was happy to flash her expense card at any charge which came her way. It had taken several minutes for Shinji and Asuka to open up to the possibility of having an enjoyable time. It took Misato setting a relatively high score on a pinball machine and then insinuating that Asuka could not come close to her score to get the girl to play anything. Shinji seemed content to wait for the pizza they ordered to arrive.
"What'll you play after we eat Shin-chan?" Misato asked.
"I... I don't know." Shinji was proficient at maintaining his sullen continence for extended periods of time. Misato vowed to tell him such if he ever suggested he did not have any talents.
She chuckled to herself. "Well, I challenge you to a game of Skee-Ball after we eat."
"If you want, sure."
"You're on then. Hey, I think that's ours." Along with pizza came Misato's second beer of the evening. A worried glance from Shinji prompted Misato to remind him that she had driven with more alcohol in her system in the past. Shinji's troubled look persisted, however, until Asuka returned with news of her triumphing high score.
"Luck isn't supposed to work like this!"
"It's not luck Asuka, I think Shinji just has a knack for Skee-Ball." Any competition between the two females and Shinji seemed like a distant and absurd proposition. Something akin to that camel passing through the eye of a needle. Shinji had long obliterated the record for most points for the evening, and he had recently eclipsed most Skee-Ball points in the arcade's history.
As he slotted this round's last ball in yet another two hundred, Shinji could not hold back a smile.
"Look at you getting cocky Third," Asuka said with crossed arms. "I'll still kick your ass at any other game here!"
"You said that about Skee-Ball Asuka," Shinji pointed out.
"Well...just pick another game idiot!"
Shinji's Skee-Ball success was much to Asuka's relief a one-time anomaly. Though Shinji made some games close, and Misato was able to steal a few rounds of certain games. It was Asuka who dominated the night. Partially facilitated by Misato's downing of a fourth beer, smiles and laughter eventually overcame the emotional tax of the day.
For a bit, all three went their separate ways until Asuka spotted Shinji move with unusual determination towards a game which involved jumping when the lighted section of the ring was directly beneath the player. For the first few rounds, Shinji managed to time his jumps well so he was in position to jump again when the light completed another round of its orbit. Once the light started to move faster, Shinji could not jump fast enough.
"Hey idiot, you don't get bonus points for hang time. Just break contact with the ground so you're ready to go when the light comes back around." Asuka said.
"I'll give that a try." Shinji said without interrupting his concentration. Asuka's strategy proved to be remarkably effective and between the two of them, they were able to accumulate an enviable amount of prize credits. Though Shinji would not quit until they won the jackpot.
As closing time approached, Shinji suggested they play a game together and Jurassic Park was decided upon. Asuka hoped that playing with three of the four possible players would give them a chance to go far in the game with the few credits they had left. Really two and a half players. She thought but decided not to voice her opinion aloud.
"Alright Shinji don't drag us down—or you either." Asuka said as she looked at Misato.
"Considering I'm the only one here who's fired a real gun, you shouldn't be too worried about me."
"Whatever, just get it started already."
The first couple of levels went by with little difficulty. From there, the difference in speed was the difference between a Maserati and a lawn mower.
"There's more of them on my side!"
"Use the bomb now!"
"Uh—I'm taking damage."
Occasionally, one of the few remaining patrons would glance over at what looked to be Olympic-level arcading. Those going for gold were much too focused to notice.
"I keep getting hit I need some help!" Asuka exclaimed.
"They're coming on my side too Asuka!" Misato responded. Shinji had realized early on that the middle would be the most contentious location. Both his roommates were constantly yelling at him for support, and they seemed to ignore the fact that there were dinosaurs coming up the middle as well. With his attention split, his accuracy plummeted.
"Use a bomb idiot! I'm about to die hurry—" It was fortunate no one understood the German curses which followed Asuka receiving her last count-down timer.
"Alright it's up to us Shinji." Misato said in between killing a horde.
As if some fog had been lifted, Shinji began to kill dinosaurs with the precision of a western gunslinger. The plastic gun felt more natural in his hand as he covered the left side of the screen while Misato dominated the right. Without any remaining credits every mistake would prove costly, counteracting their desperate plight was the fact that only one level remained.
"Keep it up...only a little more," Misato said sweat piling on her face.
"Don't screw up now, you guys are so close," Asuka added.
At this point, Shinji believed he would make it to the end. That belief was dashed to pieces by an aerial dinosaur. Though by the time he set the gun down and took a breath, Misato was celebrating victory.
"Whoo! Yeah! We did it!" Misato exclaimed while dropping the gun without taking the time to put it in the holster.
"Huh, you lasted way longer than I thought you would Third," Asuka said.
"He lasted way longer than you did," Misato shot back. Asuka could not help but respond to the insult.
"Well, I'm glad you can dominate a kid's game."
"And you're just jealous." Misato responded with a smile.
"I am not!"
"It's—um getting late, let's use our credits to get a prize," Shinji said.
"Yeah, since we're never coming back here, we'll get the most expensive thing we can collectively afford."
A smile flashed across Shinji's face. "Good idea Asuka." Asuka gave him a look which screamed: "Are my ideas ever not?"
At the prize counter, they were told they had just enough for a Topaz necklace, and they were much too far from the next higher prize considering the arcade only had a few minutes until closing. Asuka, citing Misato already having a necklace, proudly wore the product of their evening's efforts.
