Quake Chasers

Act 1

On their way back from a mission, Chase, Jinja, Bren, Dax, and their newest members were discussing how they want to celebrate Chase's upcoming birthday. Dax on the other hand...

Bren: New York?

Dax: No. Keep it Californian.

Bren: Great America?

Dax: No. I don't like roller coasters.

Bren: Karaoke?

Dax: Absolutely not. I can't sing.

Bren: Laser tag?

Dax: No. I'm not good with a blaster.

Bren: Bowling? Old school diner? Mini golf? Anything? I've got tons of suggestions, Dax. And we all know how Chase wants to celebrate his birthday. He wants all of us to enjoy it.

Chase: Bren, just leave Dax alone. We just came back from an anti-chemical weapon mission. Let's just wait until we get back to Core-Tech Industries.

Bren: I can't wait. Your birthday is coming up soon.

Chase: I know I want all of us to enjoy it, but I also want to respect all decisions made by my friends.

Jinja: I'm on the verge of explaining Albert Einstein's definition of insanity.

Dax: I'm on the verge of insanity itself if I have to listen to this madness.

Young Man: *Interrupts* Okay, look, Dax. First of all, if you just agree to at least one thing we have in mind, Bren might leave you alone until Chase's birthday. Secondly, what's not to love about birthdays?

Dax: Who said you could talk, Lucas?

Lucas: I'm just stating my opinion.

Bren: Why don't we have a party at your apartment, Lucas?

Lucas: Well, I don't see why not.

Chase: Your balcony is big enough for a party. So, we'll have it there.

Jinja: We'll have some dance lights, confetti poppers, a buffet table, a cake shaped like-

Dax: Okay. Can you stop please? I love a good party myself, but the only parties that I'm not into are birthdays. They are just not my thing.

Jinja: You have something against birthdays?

Dax: Well, no offense, but I'm just saying they're practically irrelevant.

Chase: They're not irrelevant. It's an important day in everyone's lives.

Dax: ... *Sigh* Clearly, you're not understanding my problem. We're pretty much aging every small second, and we have one particular day to celebrate.

Chase: It's the day you were born, Dax. What's the big-

Young Lady: Don't try, Chase.

Chase: *Turns to her* Don't tell me you're siding with him, Ayako.

Ayako: Well, I'll have to side with him, because one time, Kumiko and I have been trying to get this one friend of ours to celebrate his birthday since we were six-year-olds. And eventually, we just gave up. So, we're gonna accept whatever decision Dax here has, just like our friend.

Young Lady 2: No matter how hard we tried, he would still treat his birthday as if it's another ordinary day. It's impossible to convince him. Not even the old Pin The Tail game. Nothing but pure... average-ness. If that's how he celebrates his birthday, then I would have to celebrate it that way as well.

Dax: What Kumiko said. If I were a Mars native, I would be 14 by now, and my next one wouldn't happen for another 231 slow days.

Lucas: That's your best argument? Mars?