[IC] Stranger Beetles

[Metronome]

"Only the best game ever," Nate said. "You make a character and play as them on a fantasy adventure. You probably don't know about it because you're a girl," He teased, snickering.

[Beetlejuice96]

"Excuse me?" Lydia asked, getting defensive already. "Because I'm a girl? You do know that throughout history there's been a lot of things deemed only a man can do only for women to prove them wrong? Mulan, Joan of Arc, countless women in the Wars who went undercover as spies, women who dressed as male pirates then surprised them by showing their hopeless victims they're a girl. So, yeah, whatever, I don't know it because I'm a girl. Oh, and did you idiots forget that I came from an orphanage, so maybe you want to rethink your statement."

"Okay, dude, chill. We were just joking." Zach said, looking over at Nate. Geez this girl could bite someone's head off in a second. "We could actually use another player..." He said, mostly talking to Nate.

[Metronome]

"Yeah, chill out, it was just a joke," Nate pushed his tray aside. "You can play if you want. We're planning out next campaign right now." He pulled out a little guide book and handed it to her. "This'll tell you how to make a character. You can take it home if you want, just bring it back tomorrow."

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia took the guidebook before flipping through it a little. It did look interesting, especially the different classes and races. She stopped upon one of the races that caught her interest. "Tiefling? A half demon race?" She asked them. Well, she wasn't half demon, but she did have a full demon back home. She then grew a little worried. Her and Beetlejuice had been separated from time to time but never almost all day. She hoped that he was at least behaving himself.

[Metronome]

"Yeah, they're pretty cool. Wanna make one? I play a warlock," Nate took his fork and swished it like a wand.

Meanwhile, back home...

"All I wanted was her approval and she never appreciated me!" Beetlejuice sobbed into Barbara's lap. They were getting into the real meat of the demon's life problems, now.

"There, there," Barbara petting his hair, which she found to be in desperate need of a wash. "Your mom sounds like she doesn't deserve you. You have Lydia now, and she thinks the world of you." The demon sniffled, and looked up at Barbara. He had mascara pouring down his face. Had he even been wearing mascara? Was this another joke? Barbara was baffled by the demon's ability to make light of the situation, even as he was clearly pouring his heart out.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up," Barbara offered, carefully standing. Beetlejuice perked up at that, seizing yet another opportunity to be vile.

"Only if you join me, babes," He wiggled his eyebrows.

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia laughed at the goofball, not a fake one or a small one, but a true, genuine laugh. It surprised her but it also felt great. "Yeah, I'll make one. Is there any summoning in this game? Like Necromancer class or anything like that?" She asked as they started making the character.

The bell finally rang to release the students, Lydia starting to look for the Maitlands who were going to pick her up. No doubt that Beej would be there too like a dog waiting for its owner. "Hey, Delia!" Zach called out as he and Nate ran over to her.

"Look, we've been thinking a bit and..." He said before looking over at Nate.

[Metronome]

"We were wondering if you'd like to go to the arcade with us. We could spot you a few quarters." Nate kept his hands in his pocket in a desperate attempt to look cool.

The Mainlands' car pulled up just then. Barbara waved at Lydia from the passenger seat, and Beetlejuice was in dog form, pressing his nose against the window. His tail wagged wildly when he saw Lydia, but then he let out a growl at the site of the boys from the mall.

"Beetlejuice, please," Barbara chided.

[Beetlejuice96]

"I...uh...could you give me a second?" Lydia asked before heading over to the car. "Hey, Beej." She said, giving him a scratch behind his ears before looking over at the Maitlands. "Is it okay if I go to the arcade with Nate and Zach? They asked if I wanted to go and I think this is how making friends work. I promise I'll be home at a decent time." She said, admittedly nervous.

[Metronome]

The Maitlands seemed thrilled that she'd made friends on her first day of school. "Of course, hun," Adam said.

Beetlejuice seemed to disagree. He whined and jumped from the car. "It's dog friendly, right?" He asked in a hushed tone, tail wagging nervously.

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia smiled widely as the Maitlands gave her permission before looking over at Beetlejuice, kneeling down as if petting him to respond. "I don't think it is, Beej. But I'll be okay, I promise to call you if something goes wrong." She whispered back before scratching his head again.

"Go on, boy, back in." She said, gesturing to the car. Besides, she couldn't talk to him like he was...well...what he actually was. She had to keep up the facade of him being a dog. "I'll be home soon."

[Metronome]

Beetlejuice's face dropped, and his tail tucked between his legs. He slunk back into the car and hopped up on the seat, facing away from her. Why couldn't he come? Weren't they best friends? Call him when she needed him...just like everyone else. Was he just a magic genie to her?

He didn't realize he'd been whimpering until Barbara spoke up.

"She hasn't forgotten about you, hun," She said, "she's just made new friends, now. It's okay for her to hang around other people, that doesn't mean she doesn't still like you."

[Beetlejuice96]

"I'll be home on time!" Lydia said before running back to Zach and Nate with a wide grin.

"It's cool with them, I just have to be home at a reasonable time. So, what do you do exactly at an arcade? Just hang around or...?"

"There's games to play there like foosball, air hockey, that rigged claw machine, plus some old ones like pinball and 80s arcade games." Zach said.

[Metronome]

"I'm the top score on Dance Dance," Nate said proudly. They were walking toward town, where a small but busy arcade sat. Nate led the way inside, pushing around the after school rush.

"Turner!" He shouted to a greasy looking guy running the counter. "We brought a friend. Whatcha' got for us?"

The guy turned around, a sad look in his eyes. "Nate...someone beat your top score."

"WHAT?"

[Beetlejuice96]

"That's impossible! Nate defeated the hardest dance in the game! Who beat him?!" Zach exclaimed. All this however left Lydia confused. What's Dance Dance? What's a top score?

"Uh, Earth to dorks, what are you talking about? It doesn't seem that big of a deal to me." She said, causing Zach to gasp in horror.

"Not a big deal?!" He echoed.

[Metronome]

"Not a big deal?" Nate demanded, "You just witnessed the fall of the Nate Dynasty!"

He ran to the Dance Dance machine and pulled up the scores seeing who beat him. "Who's ShaMil?" He asked, squinting at the name. "Whatever, let's get my spot back!"

He threw some quarters into the machine and picked a song.

[Beetlejuice96]

"Can I give it a shot? I just follow that's on screen, right?" Lydia asked. Zach shrugged before handing her some quarters which she put in. This should be interesting to watch since she never played before. He was promptly proven wrong as Lydia followed the arrows quiet well.

"Pff, beginners luck!" He exclaimed as the song started to pick up.

[Metronome]

Nate, meanwhile, was going to absolute town on the other machine. He was almost to the end of the song when a bulky, sweaty looking boy shoved him, causing him to misstep.

"Ryan!" He yelled in frustration. The boy smirked.

"Oh, sorry nerd, did I mess up your game?" He sounded very not sorry. "Get fucked, Matthews."

Nate clenched his fists, but said nothing. He did want his face caved in today. He hopped off the machine and stood back to watch Lydia.

"Hey, she's pretty good!"

[Beetlejuice96]

"Hey, dickhead, piss off and wait your turn." Lydia said as she kept dancing, showing she was a pretty good multitasker. Once her song was over, she looked at the jerk. "Let me guess, mommy and daddy didn't beat you enough so you take it out on others, right?"

[Metronome]

Ryan looked Lydia up and down, like a piece of literal garbage had become sentient and began speaking to him.

"That's some tough talk from a little orphan girl," he sneered. "Heard you live with the Maitlands. Guess they couldn't have their own kid, so they went out and bought a reject. Couldn't even find one that matched!"

Both the boy's jaws dropped. Had Ryan really just gone there? Nate growled and lunged at him, swinging his fist. "Shut your damn mouth!"

[Beetlejuice96]

Lydia let out a loud, primal scream before leaping onto Ryan's back and clinging to him in a choke hold. "Take it back, you son of a bitch!" She exclaimed. Nobody insulted her precious labradoodles!

Zach ran over to punch Ryan in the stomach, already defending his new friend's family.