John pulled out the small toy, cradling it in his hands as though trying to give it some sense of grandeur. This did not convince Alex who looked between the gun and her friend quizzically, expecting him to break into a grin at any moment as if this were a joke.
"A plastic ray gun? Okay, I'm stumped. Is this a replica from some 60's sci-fi show I don't know? Is it signed by Leonard Nimoy or something?" Alex crossing her arms while she speculated.
"No, it's not anything like that. It's... a Bimbo Ray." John knew the name didn't exactly help his case, but he couldn't think of anything else to call it.
Alex paused, "...so I did actually get it right, raunchy erotica. And what is a 'Bimbo Ray' even supposed to do?"
"Well, apparently it's supposed to improve a person's mood and make them more attractive...though only in a more feminine way. But it also lowers their intelligence at higher settings."
"Well that seems like a pretty shitty trade-off. I'm guessing it's supposed to be used by a villain then?" John kept expecting every word he said about it to be the one to get Alex to pick up her bag and walk out, but oddly she didn't show any sign of doing so.
John decided to lean into the humor of it. "Maybe, but the instructions for it almost made it sound more like a remedy for personal woes. Here, wanna read'em?"
Alex grabbed the pamphlet from him and began running her eyes over it. A few seconds passed and she said, "Lewd for sure, but it seems awfully descriptive for a gag or scam. What's it mean by being addictive?" She always was a scary fast reader.
"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."
"Well where did you get this thing from?"
"That's the crazy thing! One second I'm just walking home and it's in my hand. I thought I was maybe in a store or something, but it's like my mind's been wiped or something."
Alex raised an eyebrow at this. "Okay, pamphlets are one thing. But when a person gets that descriptive with their story it does sound like a gag or scam."
"Don't believe me? Then why don't we try it and see if it even works?" John twirled the gun around his finger, causing Alex to pull back.
"Hold up, you are NOT testing that thing on me. I happen to like not being some 'Bimbo.'"
"Really, then why was the last character you played a ditzy elf sorcerer?" John said while also putting the ray gun down to show he came in peace.
"Jesus, you dump your intelligence score One Time and everyone at the table demands a valley girl accent." Throwing her hands up. "And what about you, Mr. I'm Gonna Use a Greataxe Over a Greatsword? Seems pretty dumb to me."
"What's wrong with a greataxe?"
"You're rolling one d12 damage instead of 2d6! Two dice would give you better odds for higher damage." Pointing a finger at John while brushing her hair out of the way after it fell forward a bit.
John knew this was one of Alex's biggest pet peeves. She loved numbers and was always focusing on statistics in their games. Great for beating your way out of a dungeon, but she didn't like betting on long odds and tried to keep the party playing it safe. But thinking on this, John had an idea pop into his mind.
"A d12 could out-roll 2d6 easy, I'd even bet testing this ray gun on myself if I'm wrong." As John picked up the toy from his bed and switched the dial to one, causing it to light up and whir lightly. "But if I'm right, you have to be the guinea pig."
"Oh John, you're a dreamer if you think you can luck your way out of the math on this. Fine, but only on Level 1. The way it sounds right now I'd rather the motor not Explode if we try it any higher."
"Agreed, though more so I don't have to start doing your homework for you when I win."
John figured a low setting was perfect for a test anyway. There was no telling if the effects of this thing were permanent or not, and as much as Alex could be a show-off with her sharp mind, John didn't want to take that away from her forever. He rummaged in his desk for his bag of dice while Alex pulled her favorite colored red set out from her bag. John had a lucky 12-sided dice he saved for special rolls, and now seemed like as appropriate a time as any.
Alex rolled first, getting a 2 and 5 for a total of 7. John blew into his hands holding the dice for luck and rolled...