scratchpad | Preplotting post for Kharry and Leia for VT

"I don't know," he admitted. "If I was home it would be easy. A little time fussing over my wife of Jaenellle. Or making mulch. We've all gotten very good at making mulch," he said wryly. "Especially those of us who are married." His lips twitched slightly in amusement. Th Queens in the Dark Court all had very nice gardens. Sometimes he half wondered if Karla intentionally provoked the boyos just to get much for her own garden. Probably not. Probably just an added benefit of being Karla.

He took a deep breath, feeling a bit more tension ease out of him. But it was a stopgap measure at best and he knew it.

"The problem is that no one here is used to a Warlord. Though you should all thank the Darkness that if it had to be any of us, it was me dragged here. I'm fighting my own nature to step back from the line, but a Warlord Prince....?" He shook his head. "Frankly it is a wonder I've managed this long without a Queen. Very few Warlord Princes could have done the same. Half the people on this Train would be dead. Or they would. More likely both would be true." He shook his head again, feeling the tension creep back in. He turned his wedding ring, drawing on the physical connection to it, and all it implied. He also brushed lightly against the ring he wore hidden, feeling reassured by the responding thrum of Darkness there. Jaenelle's magic was still active. When he had said that if a Warlord Prince was here he might be killed after murdering half the Train.... hadn't been about the Warlord Princes of the Dark Court. There wasn't a person here who could get through the shields Jaenelle put into their rings, if they were activated. The only way one of them could die on this Train was to fail to activate the shields or let them fall. And dying that way would be extra stupid, given that Lucivar would tear any of them apart without hesitation for being that stupid. To say nothing of what the High Lord would do to what was left of them.

Because even if someone here could kill one of the Blood? No one here could finish the kill. He would have to really work if he truly wanted to return to the Darkness. And he wouldn't do that to his family and friends.

The air flashed hot as he tried not to think about the friend they'd lost because he hadn't shielded. About wishing he could have stood on the killing field with Kaelas and the others to avenge his friend. Kharry was among the least bloodthirsty people he knew, but on edge like this... Part of him wanted to see blood run. Wanted to be the cause.

He clenched his hands, trying to recenter himself.

"Well, I could Bend up some wood for you to make into mulch if we can't come up with something better just now," Leia said. "But even with the greenhouse car, there's only so much mulch that the train needs, and storage space is rather limited, so it would likely be best to come up with another solution, if we can."

"As for thanking the Darkness, I'd rather give credit where credit is due and thank you. Having the self control to fight against your own instincts when necessary for the sake of others is never an easy thing, no matter one's species, and it's a trait I find admirable. Regardless, though, you shouldn't have to do it alone."

She considered a moment. "You mentioned fussing over your wife; would it have to be your wife, or would fussing over someone else be helpful as well? Or alternately, I noted that politeness seemed to help a bit; would being polite past the point of me being able to be believably sincere about it be more helpful, or would that make matters worse?"

"Bend up some wood?" He felt like he was missing something important there. Though, "Storage isn't problem, I wear the Sapphire and lots of worlds we supposedly go to could use mulch. And if you're giving credit for my self control, more of it is due to my teachers than anything inherent in me." Having to explain yourself to the Steward of the High Court was something all the boyos avoided.

"It would have to be a female that accepts the fussing. Good grace isn't necessary, generally though," he added with a hint of a quirk of his lips. "We are drawn to serve, and serving helps. But it has to be someone we trust, and someone we agreed to serve." Which was part of the issue with Eva, but just part. "But any woman who isn't an enemy asking for a favour can help as well." He took a deep breath. "When Any of us are on the edge, the wisest thing is to trust in Protocol. But no one here seems to know it, which is concerning. And dangerous. Thankfully there is a lot of overlap between Protocol and good manners. As for being polite to the point where it is clearly sarcasm... I assure you no one does that as well as Karla. Well, maybe Daemon." Again his lips twitched in amusement. *****s fire, he missed home.

"Create some," Leia clarified. "Bending is the term for the process, since it is, effectively, bending reality. It involves a combination of will, imagination, and practice, and so far as I know, is an ability that can only be acquired in the dimensional hub I was living in before I was brought here."

She wasn't sure what his choice of jewelry had to do with storage not being an issue, but as for the rest, "And it would depend on the world and their particular needs. Though I suppose if all else failed, we could give the surplus to the Ministry and let them handle distribution. It would be better to find a solution not dependent on mulch, however."

"Well I don't mind asking for favors, or occasionally being fussed over. I've had to get somewhat used to the latter with 3P0 back home; he's what's called a protocol droid, ironically enough, and serves as what amounts to a combination of butler and translator most of the time. He can be a bit annoying sometimes, but fussing is how he shows he cares. And I've been told I can occasionally use a bit of fussing."

"While I admit I'm not familiar with your world's version of Protocol, I am willing to learn at least the basics of it. So if you're willing to consider me trustworthy enough, I'm willing to take you on and accept some fussing from time to time for as long as we're both here. Would that be acceptable?"

"I'll admit I didn't understand most of what you said at the beginning there. Which could just be revenge for all I know," he said with a bit more of a grin. "But at least I understand butlers." since he was aristo through and through. Leia might be shocked how few chores he actually knew how to do when he first arrived. Not that he was much better now. But hey, at least he could cook. And had been trying to trade other work for people to do his chores.

"A bit annoying but fusses to show he cares? At stubborn and snarly and you sound like the girls describing any of us," he said with a chuckle. Then he sighed. "I would love to take you up on that, and I am happy to teach. But... we don't know each other well enough to know if we'll be able to trust each other long term. And that... us what I need..." He considered, playing with his ring again, then he blinked. "I do have one idea how we could get more of a measure of each other though.... Do you play Chess, Lady?" he asked. And yes that was undeniably mischief and amusement in his eyes now, though there was still wariness under the surface.

No sane man would test a new friendship with a woman by playing chess with her. But then, Kharry never much cared if anyone saw him as sane. He wasn't in the Twisted Kingdom, and that was enough.

Leia chuckled slightly. "Hmm. Trust me when I say that if I ever have reason to seek revenge on you, you won't have to guess whether I am or not," she said. "But I can explain in more detail later if you have any questions; there are a number of things that I'm used to that may require a bit of explanation for others." Which was also true the other way around, as their conversation was proving.

"3P0 is stubborn in his own way, though not as much as R2. Though I think the only way you could get him to snarl would be if he were speaking Shyriiwook, which isn't necessary around me, since I'm fluent in it myself. It's not really a language meant for humanoid vocal chords though, so I'll refrain from giving a demonstration for now; I don't think I'd be able to maintain this calming effect in that language."

She quirked an eyebrow slightly when he asked about chess. It wasn't a method she usually used to test someone either, that much was obvious, but she saw no reason to refuse. "I do, as a matter of fact. Do you have a set with you?" If not she'd give him a demonstration of Bending after all. Normally she'd just go to the Games carriage and get one, but she didn't feel it wise to leave him alone just then.

He was very much getting the feeling that she'd get along with the Coven. Perhaps well enough that he should be glad they're apart. But at the same time, he wished he had Jaenelle's read on her. No one could get the measure of a person as well as she could.

But he put that and his confusion aside in favor of the one way he had to test his own instincts. He grinned a grin that clearly meant trouble. "Lady," he said the tone as if it was meant mostly respectfully, mostly, "I never go anywhere without a chess set. Even here. I suspect however that you, like most people on this Train, play a very different version of chess than I mean." His expression was all mischief and boyish delight now. "Because you agreed to play with me. Without snarling."

And with that his chess set appeared on the table between them. And true to his guess it wasn't quite like any chess set she was likely to have ever seen. The red and black pieces looked like they were carved of gem stones and, the board was 13 by 13 instead of 8 by 8.

"Do you want to play red or black?" he asked.

Edited 2022-08-30 02:25 (UTC)

Leia couldn't help but smile slightly herself at that grin. It reminded her a bit of Han, which in this case was a good thing. "I find that snarling tends to discourage people from wanting to play games under most circumstances," she said. "Which would be counter-productive at the moment."

When she saw the chess set though the eyebrow went up a bit further. "Apparently you're right; this isn't quite like any chess set I've ever seen. Though I can see why you prefer to keep it on you; whether or not the pieces are real gemstones, it's still a beautiful set." And likely pretty expensive too, though she opted not to comment on that. "And I'll take red, thank you. Though before we play you'll need to familiarize me with the differences between this version of chess and the one I'm used to." She was confident she could adapt, but best to know the rules before she got into the game.

"It was a gift from Uncle Saetan the birthday before I made the Offering to the Darkness. And I will be happy to teach. Alright, so the five rows closest to you are your Territory, and you can place your pieces however you wish before we begin. But I'm guessing you want the explanation of the pieces before you set your territory?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

She hoped that that 'Offering to Darkness' wasn't quite as sinister as it sounded, but opted not to comment. "Yes, please," she said. "Some of them I recognize, but others are unfamiliar. The pawns are easy enough to tell at least." She held up one of the smallest pieces. "I'm assuming they move the same way I'm used to; one space forward, except on their first move when they can move two, and capture one space forward diagonally?"

He had been wondering how she would react to naming the pawns, but she already knew about them. Ah well, most people, even the women he knew used the terms pawns. He still wondered of Lady Lia's aversion to it had been part of the culture of Dene Nehele at the time or not. He might have to ask Talon some time. Kharry was one of the few people in Kaleer who had the privilege of reading Jared's adventures with Lia. But by now everyone in Cassidy's court probably had every page memorized.

"Pawn's motion is based on proximity to the Queen. If she is within her Rank's worth of spaces from the pawn it may move two, otherwise one. No diagonals unless the Queen is in range too. Given how much of chess centers around the Queen, perhaps we should start with her?"

While Leia personally shared Lia's opinion when it came to people, when it came to chess sets, the smallest and most numerous pieces still needed a name. And frankly she highly doubted they, being chess pieces, would care what they were called. Though if Kharry ever told her the story, she would ask what Lia had called them instead.

She nodded, putting the pawn down and picking up the tallest- and only unique- piece. "Right here's a significant difference from the chess that I'm familiar with," she said. "Because in that game, checkmating the king is the goal, but this set doesn't have one, which means the conditions for winning must be different."

"What is a king?" he asked, head ducked down so he was looking up at her through his curls.

"In the case of chess, a second unique piece that starts out positioned to one side of the queen," Leia said. "Like the queen, the king can be moved in any direction, but unlike the queen, it can only be moved one space at a time. The goal of the game is to achieve checkmate; that is, to create a situation in which the opponent's king has no moves available that won't result in it being taken."

"Well... that is certainly different. There is no such piece here. The goal of the game is to protect your Queen." He watched her to see if she had the very typical female reaction to that statement he would have gotten back home.

It almost certainly wasn't, as her expression didn't change much from the mildly thoughtful one of someone taking in and processing new information they'd been given. "So the goal is to capture the opponent's queen, without letting your own be captured," she summed up. "Is the queen's range of motion the same as the chess I'm used to- any number of spaces in any direction- or is there a difference depending on certain circumstances?"

Leia was fully aware that she was likely already being tested, which was fine by her; that was the reason they were playing, after all. She was curious to know his thoughts so far. Meanwhile, she was similarly observing the young man across from her, gauging his questions and reactions. Already trying to guess what his strategy might be, so that she could plan her own accordingly.

His eyes twinkled with amusement as he worked his mind around her response. Very few people would give such a balanced reply. The female aggressive answer of capturing the other Queen mixed with the male protective answer. He wondered what Uncle Saetan would make of Leia. And was starting to suspect he'd sell half his clothes to watch the two of them play chess. Or Cradle. So long as no one ever learned who it was who had taught her to play in the first place.

He shook his head. "Any single direction, yes but she is limited by her rank. After we set our pieces we each roll the dice. If we tie, we roll again until we do not. The higher the number the Darker the Queen and the more spaces she can move in a turn, and the further from her her males can gain use of her abilities. Each number corresponds with a Jewel colour, of course." He was watching her. And not just to ensure that she was keeping up so far.

For Leia, at least, it was somewhat matter-of-fact. One couldn't very well capture the other player's queen if their own was captured in this game, so both had equal priority. But she caught the twinkle in his eye and sensed the amusement behind it. There was something unusual about her reply that had pleasantly surprised him. She made note of that as they continued.

She nodded slightly, showing that she was indeed following. "So one side starts with a distinct advantage over the other," she said. "Interesting twist. And one that adds an additional layer of strategy to the game, the same way a randomizer does in sabaac." She made a mental note to ask more about those jewels he kept mentioning later; she wanted to know more, but didn't want to get off track.

"Are all the other pieces considered 'male' then?" Some of them seemed vaguely more 'masculine' to her eye, but it was a bit hard to tell with chess pieces. "And what sort of abilities does the Queen grant to the other pieces? Does it vary depending on the piece, or is it the same no matter which one is using them?"

Where as he was making a mental note to ask what sabaac was later. "Not all, but most," he said. "The castles are genderless, they're just for protection and can't move," he said, pointing to the rooks. And the sanctuary which was much the same, he explained the differences. He then began to explain the other pieces. The Queen was the strongest piece, of course. The next strongest was the Warlord Prince, male. Then the Black Widow, a female piece that probably moves as peculiarly as a Knight in a more earth-like chess set. There were priestesses and healers which were both female pieces and had some useful potential to them They were of even rank with the Prince, a male piece who was more powerful in some ways, but less versatile. Then there were the Witches and Warlords, both of which were weaker still; Witches being females and Warlords being males. There were a few Blood females and then...

"And of course the Blood males, the ones you already identified as pawns, which is another name for them, of course," he said, watching her as he had throughout the whole explanation.

Leia listened as he explained the other pieces and how they moved, taking note of it as well as which were 'male' and which were 'female', nodding slightly at appropriate points to show she was following. At the last statement that 'Blood Male' was another term for a pawn, she quirked an eyebrow though. "Which term do you prefer?" she asked. "Probably best to agree on one before we begin."

"Me? Oh I'm fine with either, I don't go hissy cat over what a pawn is called," he said with a cheeky grin, still watching her.

"We'll go with pawns then, since that's what I'm more familiar with," Leia said. She was good at retaining new information, but one less thing to remember was always helpful in cases like this.

"Now, before we set up, are there any other specific rules or conditions that I should be aware of? For example, is pawn promotion done in this version of the game? And is it required that a player announce when they're putting the opponent's Queen under direct threat of capture the way it's required that a player announce that the opponent's King is in check in the version I'm familiar with?"

"I am not sure what you mean by promotion," he said, easily enough. But it is generally considered good play to inform the other when their Queen is in mortal peril."

Preplotting post for Kharry and Leia for VT

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

And here I make up the rules for this part... >.>

Re: And here I make up the rules for this part... >.>

Re: And here I make up the rules for this part... >.>

Re: And here I make up the rules for this part... >.>

Re: And here I make up the rules for this part... >.>

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject