16403/And The Winner Is...

And The Winner Is...
Date of Scene:	03 July 2024
Location:	Coffee Shop, Hot Joe's - Gotham
Synopsis:	Nikki meets up with Clark to give him another story for the Daily Planet.
Cast of Characters:	Nikki Hawkins, Superman

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Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki landed back in New York a day or so ago. It's taken her this long to send a message to Clark Kent care of the Daily Planet to let him know she's back and asking if he wants a follow up story. A part of the agreement was to meet more on her terf than in Metropolis as she's not to keen on traveling outside of Gotham at the moment. Not that she'll really be recognized anywhere here - or at least it might take some time - but better safe than sorry. So she sits in a coffee shop that usually sees traffic from the nearby University but she loves it because the coffee and snacks are always delicious. She currently has a table, coffee and danish in front of her, sipping away while she waits.

Superman has posed:
Clark will agree to meet her up. Putting aside some personal feelings. The cell phone is silent outside of work. Seeing no messages from one person and another, does bring a twinge of sadness. Pushing that aside he gets lost in the work. When he makes it to the coffee shop, he's wearing a black suit, a white button up shirt and then a red and black striped tie with diagnal stripes. For dressing himself, it's not bad!

Clark will enter the coffee shop. Adjusting the tie for a moment. Taking middle finger, pushing up the thick rimmed glasses. Those dull blue eyes drinking in the surroundings. He'll stand out because something aobut his posture screams both confidence and lost. The area is still new to him, so it does take him by surprise.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki has been keeping an eye on the door every so often, course it's not hard to miss one with the stature and prominence as Clark Kent. Add on the fact that he's dressed up for the occassion - comparing him to her blue jeans and tie-dyed tee shirt - yeah this is going to be an interesting duo. Still, she stands and waves her hand a few times. "Hey Clark! Nikki's over here!" The smile on her face practically beaming - but she's had a good couple of weeks. "Course if you want a coffee you'll hafta go order it at the counter." As coffee shops generally work, but Nikki's just trying to be her usual, randomly helpful self.

Superman has posed:
"Hello," Clark gives a small wave and starts to move toward Nikki. A soft smile pulls at his lips. "Nikki. How ar eyou?" He nods about the coffee. "Alright. I'll get a cup. How have you been since the last interview?" he asks before departing. Then he goes through everything. The whole getting in line and waiting for his order to come up. Even getting "Clerk" written on the cup. Soemone thought it was a nickname.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"I'm good!" Nikki says this and then he's asking her another question before off to get his coffee. She sits back down and takes a bite out of her danish, even doing a happy wiggle dance while she chews. She has an answer for him all ready when he rejoins her at the table, but she has to giggle seeing the name 'Clerk' on the side of his cup. "I've been really good. Tim and I went to Germany, I played the tournament. My team won second!" She beams about that a moment, still doing a little wiggle. "Then we, Tim and I, did our little tour of Italy and France... oh it was so much fun. But I am glad to be home for a little while now..."

Superman has posed:
"Good!" There's a pause as he realizes that she speaks properly in this moment. He moves back to join her for a moment. "Good! What did you do inGermany?" and there's a pause. "I won't ask about the other things on the record," he knows that's probably more private and personal. However, he just wants to know how it went as a friend. Maybe as someone that has a vested interest in a few of them. Those dull blue eyes looking at her as he moves to sit down with her.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Germany was amazing. This was the World Tournament too so we were going against a lot of people that were top players..." Nikki explains as she sips more coffee to wash down her danish. "But we made it to the top two! And then won second place. Which still comes with a nice check and a lot of credit. Just also means we need to practice more... we'll take some time here soon to watch the replay and figure out where the holes in our strategy fell." As if Clark can follow any of that speak. "But then the rest of the time, Tim and I just...enjoyed ourselves. We did a few little touristy things, but in Italy we met up with this person who took us to do some not-so-common things and...man...I wish we could have stayed there."

Superman has posed:
"So, what does this mean for you and your team with the germany win? Any long term impplications or changes?" he asks curiously. As he jots down some notes, taking in her answers to a few things. "Tell me more about your team's plan going forward while this year's tournament prospects are still moving forward," he remembers the talks about this year.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"It means that we can take a much needed, albeit short, break from gaming. Spend time with our families and friends respectively... but in a month or so we're back to doing what we all do best." Nikki explains this and then thinks on his next question. "Local and National games are pretty standard. Unless new teams hit the brackets, we're pretty much going against teams we've been against before. The trick is to never play the game the same way twice. We're always coming up with new strategies to throw against people we've played before. So far, it's worked in our favor."

Superman has posed:
Hearing that, he starts to write that down. "So, you're taking a much needed break then hitting the ground running. Well, you say sandard, but explain it to someone that's new to this. What's standard? What's a good tournament? What's a bad one?" he asks wanting some of that opened up a little bit. His gqze looking at her intently for a moment.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki smiles softly. "A good tournament is one where everyone comes in with fresh strategies and keeps each other on our toes. And sure, we're in competition with each other, but a lot of teams are also friends with each other too. A bad tournament would be a team using the same strategy over and over. That's also the definition of insanity. So you don't get to really flesh out your own strategy if you're playing against something you've beaten time and time again." Nikki offers this and then sips her coffee. "I don't mean this in any mean fashion, but does that make more sense? I want to be sure I'm actually explaining these things in a way you and others will understand from the outside looking in."

Superman has posed:
Shaking his head no. "I mean. Boxing, Basketball you have Madison Square Garden, The Metro, all of these historic places. Combat Sports has Cesar's palace. Then the traditional sports all have some kind of finals, semi-finals and finals to a season championship," Clark starts to explain the angle tot he question. Although everything she said is useful, its' running the risk on being too technical. "What is the video game circuit's equivalnt? What should stand out as important tournament to the msses and why?" as he points out the direction of the questions.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Oh! Conventions usually are the semi-final times. Gaming conventions specifically, like the PAXs and ESquared." Nikki explains. "The championships are pretty niche, but if someone was interested, they actually get televised on an ESports channel. ESPN 10 I think." She seems to actually think on that then. "Smaller tournaments are city wide, often held in gaming stores, sometimes bigger-ish venues? But... I mean gaming as a whole is kinda niche to a point... but if you pay attention to like Blizzard who put out Heroes of the Storm, and the SMITE teams, they usually announce when and where you can watch the games."

Superman has posed:
Nodding a little bit, this is what Clark wants. To hear more about this aspect to it. He continues to write things down. He continues to jot a few things down a ltitle, "What are some of your faovrites and why?" Clark asks as he wants to add that human aspect to it. Those dull blue eyes looking at her for a moment.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Honestly, I like the conventions. Crowd is already there. They don't even have to pay extra to watch us. And before the games and after, or on the day we aren't playing we have passes to the convention itself. So it's like a win without even playing." Nikki giggles at this and finishes off her danish. "...Let me ask you something. Do you think people really enjoy reading your articles about this stuff? I mean it's possible since you keep talking to me but...sometimes I wonder."

Superman has posed:
A nod comes from Clark as he keeps writing things down. His gaze looking at ehr betwene the page and note. Then there's a pause from him. He nods a little bit. "The story will also be published online. So, I'm wirting it more for them, but if your story didn't generate some kind of feedback, I woudln't be here," he says honestly as he looks at Niki. "Why?"

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Oh. Well. Uhm..." Nikki begins to falter, cracks in the mask she's been wearing this whole time beginning to form. Not literally, of course, but figuratively. Clark had been wondering how she could be talking like normal - that's just about to fall apart. "...I guess...I..." She sighs. "I know...Nikki knows...not a lot of people really like professional gamers. We have a following, sure, but for every one of us there's like five of them...so...she's just worried that. Uhm...that the story won't do well..." Lifting her coffee, she downs the rest of it, and then rolls the cup in circles on the table.

Superman has posed:
"It's not that there isn't an audience, I have to convey the story in such a way that it can bring in new people. You won't get new people merely conveying the common jargon. There needs to be a bridge," Clark says softly letting her know that he is going to do what he can to bring in new readers. ORa t least make it so there's an interest.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki blinks and glances to Clark, giving him a small smile. "That makes sense..." Offering this but she still has to work harder now on putting the mask back on. "Does Clark have anything else to ask Nikki?" She doesn't make eye contact with him any longer, instead, her focus is on the cup she keeps spinning. "Bridges are easy to build if you have the right material and structural integrity....otherwise no matter what one does they'll collapse..."

Superman has posed:
"And that's what I'm trying to get with my more generic questions. The materials to build a bridge," Clark offers hers since the anology works. "What are the incentives for y ou to do local tournaments? What are the cash prizes? What about the bigger tournaments. How much do they offer. Explain it to me like somoene that's thinking of doing this, but isn't sure," he says trying to get her thinking of that area. He doesn't want to say "Training level" or "starting area." Just to avoid the conversation go a different way.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Local tournaments don't have any pay out. They're more like practices than anything else." Nikki says this and then takes a slow breath, regaining her composure a little. "It's kinda like any other sporting event. We play on the state-level and whoever wins goes to regional - that's the games played at the conventions. Then whoever wins the regionals go on to play each other in the Nationals. That's the one that's televised on ESPN 10. Sometimes they have cash payouts of like...maybe ten grand or so? Then that gets split among your team so we each get a couple grand out of that." Tapping her fingers on the table a moment before she finishes. "National champions go on to the world championships, but also, lets say my team doesn't win the next national battle. Since we placed second in the world tournament this year, we're welcome to return next year no matter what." A grin. "World Championships pay out upwards to half a million dollars. Second place gets a quarter million. So I just won twenty five grand. Do that for a few years on minimal living expenses....it adds up."

Superman has posed:
Clark writes down the information on everything. His gaze going between her and the pad. "Are there things like sponsors? What about endorsements?" He knows how expensive gaming chairs can be. Those dull blue eyes lookin gat her as he takes in a few bits. "It can take a bit, but if you make it big...you make it BIG."

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Oh. Yeah. I tend to forget about that bit. But definitely there are sponsors. I've got a deal with Razer right now. That's Romeo Alpha Zed Echo Romeo." She spells it out phonetically so he can write it down correctly. "Chair, equipment. I actually talked them into giving me the things I wanted to build my own machine. You know. Robot girl. I can put together beasts if I want to. Anyway. Yeah. Sponsors are a thing. And it can take a long while to get your name out there. I got a little lucky cause I hit the online community early." She laughs. "I guess that's one thing I can thank my parents for..."

Superman has posed:
A nod comes from Clark as he keeps going, "Is there ever a standout? Like in traditional sports, there will be a standout athelete out of nowhere. They may get som eopportunites their peers may not despite lack of experience," he explains the situation. "Does the gamer world have these standouts or is it those that get noticed do have to do more of a traditional grind?" he asks just wanting some clarity on that one.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki has to actually think about that one for a moment. "I suppose sometimes?" Then she finally makes eye contact with him. "People get called out for their skills in certain areas, yeah. But nothing really stand out special seems to happen to them. Sometimes we get recognized at conventions...but mostly we're only seen as the characters we play online and the avatars we use for our user names so...it's can be a pretty anonymous life."

Superman has posed:
A nod comes from him as he pauses, "I mean. In high school people will notice number 65 at whatever school, there's talks of skipping him to pro. Or more than likely, a prestegious school sees a new second stringer at worse. It's still a -jump- compared to what they are doing. Does someone stand out like that? Just do so stellar they stand out on af ew radars, or is it more of an even playing field?" he asks honestly looking at Nikki for a moment or two.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki shakes her head. "No nothing like that. I suppose when you're just getting started and looking for a team, or making your own team, or someone quits a team so a new member is needed. Those can start choosing from the ones trying to make themselves into something. And that may happen to my team at some point but for right now we've been going for about five years and I don't see anything changing anytime soon."

Superman has posed:
A few more nods come from Clark, "I'm just trying to compare this with sports on a general level to bridge the gap between e-sports and regular sports. So, I'm asking about comparisons to show how it's the same and how it's different," he says wanting to show the full picture of everything. His dull eyes looking at her he wants Nikki to understand his angle. The approach and why he's asking these particular questions. The nature of specifics.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Well no, I think I get that. Just... this may be one thing you can't bridge. There's no like, player of the year or MVP or whatever. In the game itself - at least some games - you can give kudos to players but... we stand out as a team. Not individuals. Cause without one or the other, there wouldn't be a victory." Nikki explains this as best she can and then shrugs. "I'm going to get another drink. Do you want anything?"

Superman has posed:
"And there will be some things I cannot bridge. That's fine. Not everything will transition well between one and another. This is not a bad thing," Clark points out that he's not expecting things to be a one to one conversion. "Another Mocha, I can pay when you get back," he gives a soft smile. The pen meets the paper as he keeps writing.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Nonsense. It's my treat." Nikki says this much and then goes to order their coffees. She also pulls out her phone to check for any text messages, replying to a couple and then giving a smile at one. Once she's paid and the drinks are delivered to the counter - it takes all of about five minutes or so - she comes back and sets Clark's mocha in front of him before taking her seat again. "I would like one thing highlighted about professional gaming...that also helps it stand out from other professional sports. But in a way that it doesn't...put a bad light on sporting? Cause I know there's like, sports for people with disabilities - but they're done on their own you know? In gaming, none of that matters. Professional gaming gives a chance to those who otherwise may not be good at a sport of any kind. Disabilities are invisible for the most part." She smiles. "I'm a prime example of that."

Superman has posed:
"No. It doesn't. Professional Sports are seen that way. It's had decades to centuries to establish itself. E-Sports has had years, a couple of decades maybe. It still needs time and every little bit helps," Clark exlains that a little bit. He looks at her for a moment. "And no. It doesn't make other sports look back. However, it will dispel some preconceived notions people may ahve about progaming in genearl," he admits. Some people may not take it seriously or understand there's a grind. Clark wants to point those out to each of them.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Everyone has their own capabilities and their own disabilities. My disabilities has always made doing regular sports a hard no. When I found online gaming...it was like a whole new world was opened up to me. I started making friends, I started being social a little more...and then I got into the gaming aspect hard and... honestly I've never looked back." Nikki offers this. "But that's just my story. Everyone has one. From the regular sports to the special sports to E-Sports...we're all important. Is all I mean."

Superman has posed:
"I don't disagree. And your sport will not takee away from others. However, comparisons still need to be done to bring in new readers," he says and nods about being more social. "Theres nothing wrong with having an interest that you've monetized on, it's admirable. People would kill for that," he gives a soft smile. "You should be proud of yourself Nikki. Don't ever forget that," Clark gives a smile and sips at his Mocha. "Is there anything you'd like to add?" Clark asks his closer question. Soimething open ended and gives people free reign.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki smiles. "I've come to be proud of myself and everything I've accomplished. Professional gaming, robot building, and I work off and on for WayneTech. Not too bad for someone who grew up all isolated and stuff. If my parents could see me now..." Which she says that last bit and then goes a little quiet, taking a sip of her coffee. "I really don't have anything to add. And I think you've got a decent chunk of things to write about this time around..."

Superman has posed:
Clark will ask one last question, "Did viegogames help witht he Wayne Tech job in anyway?" Clark looks for a connection there because he knows another type of reader out there. So, he's trying to counter them, too.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"No. That was more the robot building. I met Tim Drake at a robot wars type event. We got to talking and the next thing I knew he was really interested in a robot helper I was trying to build but didn't really have the means to finish it. Shortly after that, I was pitching the idea at Wayne Tech and working on the prototype." Nikki confesses there and then shrugs, sipping at her coffee again.

Superman has posed:
More pen strokes as Clark wanted to be obsolutely sure of a few things. He does nod. "I'm happy you really made a name of yourself in both professions and everywhere else in life," Clark says honestly as he likes to see Nikki's progress as he's happy to write this, regardless of how many readers the story might get.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki smiles softly. "Thanks Clark. I really appreciate it. Hopefully something comes along again soon to give your readers another thing to look forward to." Course, she works for Wayne Tech and does Robot Wars. If Clark gets a bug in his ear he might just come chasing her down again. "Otherwise, I guess that wraps things up?"

Superman has posed:
"Your story is worth a read and is worth a read," Clark says softly, firmly. Then he will sip at his drink. A moment later, he sits up and tries to go in to give her a hug goodbye. "You have my number should you need it," he says softly. Those dull blue eyes look at Nikki for a moment.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki smiles and actually goes in to hug him as well. "Thanks Clark. Nikki appreciates you. She'll call if anything comes up..." Then she's taking up her drink, giving him a wave and walking out the door.