Logs:Game Night
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| RL Date: 6 August, 2014 |
| Who: K'del, Telavi |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: It's game night in the riders' lounge. Telavi teaches K'del how to play... until she gets eaten by a wher (spoilers!). |
| Where: Riders' Lounge, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 16, Month 6, Turn 35 (Interval 10) |
| OOC Notes: Played with +roll and +st just for the fun of it. |
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| Riders' Lounge, High Reaches Weyr About as high up the bowl wall as it is possible to get before hitting clear sky, right up against the rim, this ledge is tiny, narrow and not terribly inviting. Though angled towards the sun, there's not enough room to properly stretch out, and that same angle ensures it receives the worst of bad weather, with no shelter whatsoever. From above, there's not even an obvious passage inside, as if this particular ledge is, in the end, nothing more than a natural outcropping. It's only from atop the ledge itself that the cleverly concealed entrance becomes clear, angled into the stone as it is. Inside, there's a cavernous space, more than making up for the stinginess of the ledge. There's one large main room, and a much smaller back room that could probably be used as a bedroom - if this weyr were in traditional usage. Instead, the main cavern is largely filled with a collection of mismatched tables and chairs, with a trolley at the far end that contains a prodigious amount of liquor. Old, but still impressive, hangings cover the walls, all depicting scenes of High Reaches in glory. The back room has been turned into a storage area, with several cases of whisky and a variety of other spirits ready and waiting. A strange pipe contraption comes through the ceiling and towards the stone floor, where a large bucket sits beneath it. A lever turns on water from the pipe: fresh rain or snow, ready for drinking. Gaming night at that old reclaimed Weyr! Savannah hasn't shown up yet, but Telavi has, talking with a couple of blueriders who have paused on their way to get some spirits; she's got a wooden box on her lap whose contents she's moving to the table in front of her as they talk, starting with a game board decorated with trees and cotholds and such. Her glass still has a little in it, barely. It's not often that K'del shows up to these evenings; he's a busy man, and so often headed down south of an evening. Still, it's good form to be here every once in a while, and so he is tonight, working his way between the tables and pausing to chat here and there rather more like a host than a gamer. The blueriders are greeted by name; Telavi too, a moment later, followed by: "And what's this game?" The brunette starts in about how it's an adventure as the brunet simultaneously tells him to watch out for the wher and to pick the right path, and Telavi just laughs. With a tilt of her head, "Why don't you sit and play, K'del?" She pats the pile of cards she's just set down, waves to the departing pair with a quick call to, "Get me a refill?" before rewarding the tall bronzerider with a disarming smile. "It doesn't even take long." K'del's brows knit, displaying evident confusion, at this two-fold attempt at explanation; he blinks at the departing pair, and hesitates in their wake, though he's apparently unable to resist being disarmed by that smile. "Well," he says after a moment, "All right. How do I play?" His own glass is set down, as he sinks himself into a chair opposite the greenrider. "Small words, mind." Telavi's glad to explain, animated enough this evening that she mightn't look quite so tired; "See these paths? You get to pick which ones you go on at any crossover point. Your character," here she shows him a fan of cards about the size of an ordinary dragonpoker deck, each with a different woodcut-printed face, "is out to become healthy, wealthy and wise... and, as he said, avoid the wher." She has wide eyes. "Which do you want to be tonight?" There's a fine-robed upper-class woman as well as a naughty-looking young man, a youth standing on his or her head, and a few more. "That doesn't sound so complicated," muses K'del, blue-eyed gaze fixed thoughtfully upon the paths, and then on the fan of cards. His dimples come out to play as he adds, "Feel like I ought to pick that one, for nostalgia's sake," the naughty-looking young man is indicated with one long finger, "But let's make this more interesting. It's just a game, right? I'll be her." Clearly K'del has always - secretly - wished to be a well-dressed woman. Tela sees his dimple, raises him another. "Just a game," she assures, and now that K'del's had first choice, shuffles the remaining cards and picks: an oldster, as it turns out, with grand curling mustachios in hill-country style. That makes her smile too, even as she sets the corresponding markers out onto the board... followed by another, a wher, which of course gets placed into its den. "The wher always goes towards the one who's closest," she explains, and offers K'del the dice. His move! K'del, apparently delighted by Telavi's persona for the evening (as much as his own), accepts the dice with an attempt at seriousness; he considers them, then leans down to blow, carefully. For luck, obviously. "And the wher is bad," he concludes. "Does it eat you?" Without waiting for an answer, the dice are shaken between his closed fist, then released onto the table: a two and a three. Moving his piece accordingly, he peers down at the board and wonders, "So what does that mean?" "It does eat you," Telavi assures, "Terribly bloodthirsty it is, too. That one... here you go, draw a card." The deck she hands him is a different, larger set with a moon printed on each one's back, crescent atop full. Reclaiming her glass for a last sip does nothing to hide her smile. (To K'del): Apparently K'del's character's shoelaces have come undone! She trips and falls, right in front of everyone, and has to go back two paces. K'del sniffs, noting, "I always thought whers were supposed to be good. I'm not sure if I approve of these--" in the meantime, he's picked his card, started reading it, and finally, started to laugh. "How embarrassing; seems I've tripped over my shoelaces. Back I go." Two whole paces back; how is he going to win like this? Adding the card to the discard pile, he gestures to Telavi: "Your turn, I guess!" "Awful, I know," Tela teases, snatching up the dice, and then she's peering to try and look at his card as he's reading it. It's not poker here! "Clumsy, clumsy." Now she can roll, with enthusiasm but at least not so much that they fall off the table... "You know these fancy ladies; always falling into things. And people. And..." K'del breaks off from that to peer first at Tela's dice, and then towards the board again, mentally calculating. "So... you end up on that square that says roll again? That's clearly unfair." "Completely," Tela assures, and trots her marker along with bouncy hops; "Lady Edeline..." but she's conveniently distracted, having to roll once more. Probing questions about pirates aren't exactly fun, and she'd just as soon they not be in the cards tonight. K'del mutters into his glass rather than says, "Lady Edeline should fall off the prow of one of her precious ships." Was that out loud? oops. This time, the greenrider's dice land her on the draw pile; accordingly, K'del leans forward, eager to see-slash-hear her fate. (To Telavi): You spot a burning barn! You rush inside... and get hit by a falling beam. Skip one turn. Of course it wasn't out loud. Telavi's stifled laugh is completely coincidental! Tela's leaning forward too, tap-tap-tap... and plucks her own card, only to have her face fall dramatically. Reviving it, she doesn't read directly off the card; rather, "I am a hero! I spot a burning barn, and I rush inside to rescue, because I am brave like that! But I might also be a little dim, because then I get hit by a falling beam and I..." here she gurgles, "have to skip a turn." With great woe, she passes the dice over to K'del. K'del does not in any way respond to Telavi's stifled laugh; he's the very model of a modern... well. Seriousness lasts only until Telavi's dramatic proclamation; then, he laughs. "Wonder if anyone got out alive and had to rescue you," he teases. "Or if they all died." In the meantime, he has the very solemn duty of taking those dice, and giving them a good, solid roll. "I am positive that there was a kind canine who dragged me out by my..." Tela drifts a finger across her lip, "mustache." She laughs, light enough to approach a giggle, and then leans to see what K'del's come up with... no. Oh, no. Tela looks concerned for K'del's poor lady. Telavi couldn't possibly have slid weighted dice down her sleeves, could she? ... If only because her blouse hasn't any. (To K'del): The marker's resting space is clearly marked this time, without even a card for chance: your lady has slid down a hill, oh no! and must cross to a loop in the path that is closer to the wher. However, it is further along than Telavi has managed to get... K'del rubs his own upper lip, where no mustache grows, as if to say: ouch. His grin fades rather abruptly, though, Telavi's concern quickly matched by his own as he registers the danger of his/her present position. "There ought to be a mechanic where if you roll one die instead of two, you get to move silently, or something," he says. "Otherwise... how dead am I? Your tu-- wait, no. Mine again, isn't it?" "We could change that for next time," Telavi assures, only to quickly add, "Not tonight, of course," right after her encouraging nod for rolling again. They have things to do. Speaking of which, will the bluerider ever show up with her seconds? "I'm a believer in house rules." (To K'del): Not only do you skip past the wher this time, despite how Telavi's moved it one step closer now that you have entered its range, but it's time for another card. This one says that his character's great artistry with a hammer and tongs has won her a prize at the Gather: five whole marks! He's to keep the card for the end of the game. "House rules," laughs K'del. "Not like house wine, or house whiskey... which is uniformly awful, of course. Oh, finally." That is for the fact that his roll has actually been a decent one, and then there's, "Five whole marks! There's more to this lady than meets the eye; must be a master smith or something. Or I'm just that good." Magnanimously, he offers the dice back. "What? Oh, that's a good one! Who'd have known it by her robes!" Telavi turns each die enough that she can see all its sides, then rattles them in her hand... before they drop. She peers at the results, first-- at least the five will move a good distance-- then counts to see where her marker will land. K'del's thought, after a moment, is: "Bet she's one of those women who dresses up when she's not on duty. Practical when she needs to be, and the rest of the time... fripperies." He, too, leans in to get a better look at the board, the dice, and Telavi's token. (To Telavi): You get to pick up another card! This one has the picture of a green dragon on it, and instructs you to move forward five squares, as a dragonrider on sweeps liked the look of you, and offered to give you a ride. Of course, this takes you rather closer to the wher. Apparently that dragonrider wasn't that kind! "That must be it. Why," Tela's about to elaborate, except she gets distracted by her card; "A dragon ride, take that!" Only, "No. No, no no. Fine. A sweeprider liked me and gave me a ride on her green dragon, of course it would be green, except then she got miffed and dropped me right into the wher's mouth." She exaggerates that last, though not by much, and bravely puts her marker into danger. "Yikes," says K'del of Telavi's new position. Although: "You're catching up to me again, though. As long as you get past that position..." It's a big if, though, and the wrinkle of his nose clearly illustrates that. "Those greenriders, though. So changeable." Giving the dice a cautious glance, he aims to give them another roll for himself. Telavi makes a face at him, yes she does. "Not going well?" the bluerider finally shows up to ask; Tela glances up at her blankly, then must realize that yes, there's an outside world, for then she smiles. "The wher is happy. Thank you," and if her seconds are half-drunk, it's not as though she paid for them. (To K'del): The just-drawn card reads, 'You have the choice: give up half your mark cards (unless you have one then just give up that one) or move back five spaces.' The bluerider will have to go unacknowledged by K'del, at least for now: he's too busy staring at the card he's just picked up, his lip almost-but-not-quite quivering. "So either I move back, and get eaten by the wher," pretty much definitely, "Or... Telavi, my heart. Please take my five marks. You can buy me a drink, later. A," and he glances at her glass, then at the bluerider. "A whole one." "I will take your five marks," Telavi assures him, palm up-- and then she can't stifle her laugh any longer at the interchange. "I'm sure there must be a card with a glass on it somewhere..." The bluerider looks unrepentant, and notes, "We want the board next turn, all right?" as Tela's moved on to rolling the dice. K'del's gaze follows his five marks even after he's relinquished it, as if the card must surely miss him. Poor card, sent so far from home! "After Telavi's been eaten," K'del says, catching the greenrider's roll with a twitching smile, "It's all yours, promise. She won't get much enjoyment out of my marks, that's for sure." The wher has, after all, taken a valiant step or two forward. (To Telavi): You get to pick up another card! 'You get lost! Roll again. A total of 6 or under, move forward two. 7 or above, move back two.' Telavi wrinkles her nose at him, claiming, "I think I'd better spend it before it's too late!" But her first roll isn't good and her second roll isn't much better. Second roll? That card she'd had to draw read, "I got lost. So lost. And... I have to move back two. Bother." She eyes the wher that's coming for her. "Better hope you get a good roll next time," advises K'del, quite as if he were an expert at this time, and not a complete amateur. "Or you really will get eaten. Funny that you can get lost, and still be close enough to the wher den to know that you're there. Or maybe it's a surprise, and mustache guy doesn't know what's happening?" In any case, he has dice to roll. (To K'del): "The path splits, and you took the easy road. Roll again, pick your favorite of the numbers, and move forward that many spaces!" K'del reads his card, grimaces, then slides his token forward four spaces. "What counts as a favourite number, anyway?" he grumbles, before reclaiming his glass for a sip. "The one that lands on the spot you like better," Tela tells him promptly; even if neither spot means he can draw a card, maybe it's safer that way. Her turn! Down goes a drink, up goes her hand, and onto the table the dice rattle some more. K'del whistles through his teeth at Telavi's roll; "That's what they call an exceptional success, isn't it? Does that mean you win?" He hasn't counted, yet. He'll do that, now. (To Telavi): One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and eleven spaces... it puts you right near the end of the board, just short of winning. It's a pity that the square you land on has a fateful message: 'Renegade traders capture you, steal your marks, and then drop you off in the wher's den. You die. The end.' Well... oops. "Eleven! No, no, I still have to wind up somewhere good with marks and a rank and we haven't even seen any of those yet, but at least..." Telavi stops talking and starts counting and then... her hand flies to her forehead and she laughs. Or groans. Or, no, both. "Exceptional success for the wher, you mean. Look at that." Sadly, she tromps her poor marker over to the wher's den, but at least she gets to make the wher pounce. "Did you shuffle those cards?" K'del wants to know. "Because surely we should've seen more marks and some ranks..." But he slides his own marker back to look at the wher and the now-deceased Telavi: "I think she feels the need to mourn. Or maybe look for her marks. What a waste!" "No-o-o, sorry, the wher ate them too." The sweet way Telavi smiles is not so sorry at all. "And yes, I did shuffle them," but then Tela gives a philosophical shrug; it's the way it goes sometimes. She starts putting the decks back into place, blowing a kiss to her mustachioed character before sending him to join the rest. Anyway, "Thanks for the game, K'del. Have a good rest of the night, will you?" Even though she's missed Savannah's arrival, it's still her turn to go. K'del gives his lower lip an exaggerated quiver. "My poor pretty lady will mourn those marks forever. Alas. Thank you, Tela. For showing me how. Have a good one." He reclaims his glass, rising towards his feet; it's time to go bother someone else. That's what mingling is all about! |
Comments
H'kon on 11:01, 7 August 2014 said...
This was awesome. (Also frivolous, I'm sure.)
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