Chapter Text
Lancelot watched as Nick fiddled with the cables and wires in the back of the TV. The knight had thought it best to leave his armor and sword in his area – technically, his crate. He and a few other medieval items had been moved to the AMNH as part of some new global initiative that Nick didn’t pay too much attention to when Leslie was yammering about it. There’s… something about your boss taking the passenger seat you just got out of and watching him kiss your dad that makes you not pay attention to whatever he’s yapping about, Nick had said.
A flicker from the TV’s screen, and something new appeared. A warning message about health and safety, with “Press Ⓐ to continue”.
“Go ahead and press A on the controller,” Nick said, stumbling out from behind the TV, making sure the motion bar was set right.
Lancelot, hesitant, did so. The TV made a chirp, and the letters disappeared. What phased in with a whimsical, futuristic tune was a white screen, with twelve rounded boxes. They read with titles like “Weather Channel”, “Wii Shop Channel”, and “WarioWare D.I.Y.”, and none of them made sense upon first glance.
“This machine knows the weather? It claims to read the heavens?” Lancelot asked.
“Well, it doesn’t know. It just gets the weather data from the internet,” Nick shrugged. “Never set up that channel anyway.”
Taking the controller from Lancelot, Nick moved the cursor over the “Disc Channel”. It opened to silence, and a disc. With a hmph, Nick ejected the disc inside and flipped it over. After another moment, the game loaded and the music caught Lancelot off guard. A male chorus, violins and guitars, sudden and powerful in introducing a strange blue… creature, holding a sword.
“Sonic and the Black Knight,” Lancelot read the title.
“You’re gonna love this game,” Nick said, hovering over the Start button.
As it turns out, Lancelot was a bit of a backseat gamer.
“Gawain! I knew a Gawain at Camelot! Though, he isn’t nearly as… short,” Lancelot said, pointing at the screen.
“We’re not even through the intro cutscene, dude, you’re in for a ride.”
“Merlina… I knew of Merlin, but I don’t think I ever met the bloke. Did he have any daughters?”
“Oh, no, she’s Merlin. Audiences respond better to pretty girls than old wizards.”
“Hm. A druid’s work should be respected regardless of arbitrary factors such as that. The druids have knowledge too sacred for writing!”
Nick rolled his eyes, and began the Misty Lake mission.
“THE SWORD SPEAKS, NICHOLAS.”
“Yep.”
“Does. Does mine speak?”
“Probably not.”
The moment that would change Lancelot’s waxen life came at around 30 minutes into the game. Nick was a pro at the levels, completing them the first time with at least four stars and never going back to replay them. Only two missions waited on screen: visit the Lady of the Lake, and Battle–
“Sir Lancelot?” The blonde knight crawled closer to the TV. “That’s me!”
“You wanna watch me fight him?” Nick took a sip of his soda.
“Indeed!” Lancelot said. “I wish to judge his skills! And see if they got my good side!”
Oct would probably whisper some shit about how he has only good sides, Nick thought as he selected the level.
“I have found you, apprentice knight, enemy of my King.”
“Who the heck are you? ...Shadow?”
“I am Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table. I challenge you to a duel!”
Lancelot shut his mouth for once, watching the scene entirely enraptured. Nick focused on the fight, sitting up and leaning forward into the prime boss fight posture.
“What shall it be? Will you abandon your sword and flee?”
Nick didn’t take long to beat the boss. Lancelot’s mind ran at a million miles a minute.
There’s me! Me! And I’m the coolest!