Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 88: NERF

"So, does anyone have ideas for challenges we could put in another silent library video? That one was a decent view count," one of their Pit producers had asked at the writers' meeting on their first day back post-Thanksgiving. It had led to all manner of suggestions, some more doable than others.

"Popping balloons?" Shayne offers.

"Ooh, bubble wrap!" Ian adds in, although everyone else quickly reminds him that it isn't really something that makes the user be particularly loud.

"Something in that kind of vibe of jumping out at and scaring you? I dunno how we'd work that out, but..." Courtney trails off, only giving the conversation half her attention as she types away at a sketch script on her laptop at the same time.

"Could do a jack in the box kind of thing," Monica suggests, and a few people run down that particular path for a little while longer.

"Is there some other way we could replicate the idea of non-seriously injuring each other but funny?" Ian asks, when the suggestions start to dry up.

"Nerf guns!" Shayne calls, immediately, and it is not long before the idea is quickly picked up by everyone else.

A large portion of their filming in the three-week period between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks is focussed on sketches and Games, given they had a handful of random pit things ready to go anyway, but they fit the second silent library challenge filming in partway through the second week.

Ian is busy in a more business-y meeting, so they add in Jackie – well, she volunteers – in his place, although they had specifically ensured they were filming it on a day Keith was around.

"Man, you guys just want me to suck at this again don't you?" he complains just before they start shooting.

"Oh, absolutely!" Sarah calls out, from off-camera, Keith laughing along with the others before they start getting into their intro.

The first challenge up is the wind up jack-in-the-box Monica had added to the suggestions, and Courtney takes the seat first, trying not to laugh at the creepy music the box starts emitting when she starts turning the handle. She jumps and makes a small noise when the box springs open, quickly laughing when she realises a cutout of Ian's face has been stuck on the toy, too.

It's Shayne that catches her attention, though – this time, because he jumps in his own chair across from her even more than she does. He jumps when Keith is next in the chair, too, before jumping even more when Jackie's turn of the handle springs the toy out of the box just beside him.

"Dude is that a bit or are you really that jumpy?" Keith calls him out on it just before Courtney has a chance to, Shayne laughing at himself and turning red as they all move one chair over again so he is in front of the toy.

"Jump scares are not my favourite thing, okay?" he replies, defensively curling in on himself.

"Awww scaredy boy!" Courtney teases, hand landing on his shoulder and squeezing.

"Shut up," he replies, head dipped as his cheeks tinge with red.

He rapidly cranks the handle of the toy when it's time, but it still builds anticipation for longer than he would like. While he jumps even more than before, he manages to keep his noise to a small yelp.

"Okay, guys, nerf fight next," Sarah tells them, when they cut the first portion of the video and start moving away the table and chairs and bringing in Nerf guns.

"I wish I didn't feel like I had to remind you but please don't get too aggressive with these, guys... Safety!" Garret lectures, as he hands the two Nerf guns to Keith and Shayne to go up first and safety goggles to all four of them. The first round is ultimately fairly uneventful: Keith struggles to actually use the gun, but Shayne jumps around all over the place and ends up missing most of the shots he sends Keith's way anyway.