Everyone is on a spectrum between being a honer and an innovator. Honers just care about perfecting their craft, even if the hypothetical best has already been reached, they just want to get as close as they can. Now innovators want to push the envelope of ideas and best ways to do things. But the best of both require some of the other. Pure honers are bland and by the book: stagnant, but pure innovators never understand the tools they have available if they never become proficient. It’s like yin and yang, order and chaos, I dunno, I think it’s cool.”

“Yea, I guess that makes sense. So you’re saying we’re actually helping each other get better?” She asked.

“Well, I don’t know if you’re getting any better but obviously I am.” He chuckled as they walk into the massive Dave and busters-esc arcade.

“Heh, whatever dude. If you win then I’ll come do your dishes until next week.” She said as they walked through the turnstile.

“Ohh, you strike a strong bargain. Ok, if you win I’ll go rock climbing with you since you’ve been begging me for it.”

“Yesss! Ok, you get the first pick, where we headed?”

They started with Zero-Gravity Laser Tag. She pulled an impressive move, pushing off of a teammate to capture the winning point before time ran out.

Next they moved to time chess. She resigned after all 16 of him spent the whole time complaining arguing with each other about how it should be causing a paradox.

After many of these hard fought battles they end up with 4 points each. There was only game they played for a tie breaker since it was the only game neither could get a firm lead over the other in. But she grabs his arm as he heads towards it.

“Ack, are we not going to invert golf?” He looks back, confused.

“I’ve actually been wondering… could we end on a different game?” She attempts her best puppy dog eyes with little success. He crosses his arms in pure skepticism.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I’ve been toying around with this new strategy. It probably won’t work but I’m willing to risk it.”

“What game?”

“Inch ball?” He laughed in response.

“You are so on.” She smiled as they turn to head towards one of the older games. They haven’t played it in a while, because even though she was better at most of the physical games, he grew up playing baseball and would instantly crush her in basically any throwing game.

As they're putting on their harnesses, she goes up and helps him put it on.

“Oh my god, I know we haven’t played in a while but do you just not know how to put these on?” They both chuckle

“You should be worrying about yourself, once I get this thing on, my dishes are as good as washed.” Unknown to him, she slips a little metal disk in the back of his harness.

“Ok, keep dreaming bud.”

“Oh, I’m not dreaming, I’m planning. New glass every time I get a drink- ow.” She sinches it up enough to get the last clasp on, chuckling.

“Oh yea?”

“Yea, dinner parties every night, invite all my friends over, it’ll be great.”

“I’m sure they’ll love that. May the best one win.” They jokingly shake hands before starting the game.

They’re both carried into the large dark room. Mostly luminescent paint and black lights in the way of aesthetic. The cables they’re attached to lower them onto the tilting platform. They both wobble to gain their balance.

“This is so nostalgic! Too bad we’ll be done so quickly.” He said.

“Whatever keeps your ego intact.” She responded before making a dramatic battle pose before almost losing her balance. He laughed before pressing a button on the harness, causing a foam ball to fall from the ceiling.

He chucked it and she narrowly dodged it on accident, still trying to gain balance. As she got her first ball though, she’s hit right in the chest, feeling herself dwindle down a couple inches.

“Damnit!” She says as she flings the ball and totally misses. She takes a few more hits and is taken down about a foot. This gives her challenger enough advantage to shift the platform as she goes tumbling off.

This happens again.

And again.

And again.

Now she’s one away from losing 0-5, this is her last shot before next week, and she really doesn’t want to wait that long. She takes 2 hits, but then, she hits him back. She watches him dwindle a bit as she regains 3 inches. ‘Finally’ she thinks.

They trade again, and then she lands another shot, she’s back to full height. Then lands 2 more. He’s down a foot. He chuckles

“Hey, I think you’re finally getting the hang of this.” She laughs lightly, focusing on the fast at hand. They trade again, she hits him again. ‘Closer’.

Once he’s down about 2 feet he starts getting a bit confused.

“Yknow, you’re running out of time, you could probably get the point already.” He says before getting shrunk a bit more.

“I told you, I wanted to try out a new strategy.”

“You do you, I’m just pretty sure this is an objectively bad strat.” He said, now needing to look up at her, then shrinking a bit more.

As she hits him more and more, she carefully walks on the middle of the platform to not tip it as she gets closer and closer to him, making it easier to hit him.

Now, he only has about a foot left and she only has 2 minutes left before her chance is gone. He’s craning his neck up to look at her as she drops a foam ball half the size of his body on him. Down again. He starts to get pretty nervous.

“Uhh, what are you doing?” He says, dwindling again. She takes another careful step, he has no control over the platform anymore. He knows she doesn’t care about points now.

“One more should do it.” She says, now right on top of him. She gently taps him with the foam ball, he shrinks down to an inch. 30 seconds left on the clock.

“Ok, you’re kinda freaking me out.” He looks up at the skyscraper of his friend above him. She crouches down and smiles at him, reaching down towards him.

“All this for a contact point? Really?” He squeeked up at her.

“Not quite.” She said, not being able to wipe the smile off her face, it might actually work. 10 seconds left. She reaches towards her watch, looking up at the clock.

5

4

3

2- she presses her watch.

1- he feels a little shock against his back, he looks down to see the lights on his harness flicker off.

The happy lights and music plays as the automatic voice says

“Congratulations on your victory, Player 1.”

He didn’t grow back, his harness was broken. He looks up at her smile in horror as her fingers wrap around him.

“Congratulations little dude.” She smiled deviously.

“What the hell did you do??” Watching as she lifts him up to her face. She gently unclips his tiny harness before it zips away. Now left with the tiny person in her hand. She’s lifted up and carried back to the prep stage.

He yells and yells to get her attention but she doesn’t respond until she removes her harness. Now lifting him back up.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re fine.”

“No I’m not! I'm a speck!”

“I just needed to try out this trick. I thought if anyone would understand, it’d be you.” He sits in her hand and thinks for a bit.

“Yes, ok. It’s a cool exploit, but you could’ve told me about it beforehand. Why didn’t you?”

“Well I haven’t actually sorted out if I can get you back to normal…”

“WHAT??”

“Yea, I knew you wouldn’t agree to it.”

“Cmon please.”

“We’ll sort it out later, let’s go to your place.” She said, smiling a bit.

“Wait what? My place?”

“Yea, my parents would kill me if they found you, and you live… lived, alone.”

“You’re just- Hey!” She quickly and gently slides him into the top of her bra cup.

“Cmon, we’ll talk about it later, I have your dishes to do.” She laughed.

She soon walked out of the massive building with her brand new captive.