Chad wandered into the lounge some time long after his fight had ended. "I hope the see that bastard go down in the next fight" He muttered to himself while watching the screen, plugging his PET into the outlet to pass the time while he waited for the outcome.
"I am willing to take bets 5 to 1 against LinkMan." He said to the group the surrounded him as he lazily connected to the net and took some notes "Minimum bets of 100z of course, have to keep it interesting. Any takers?"
Tourney Spectator Lounge
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Rose wandered into the Spectators' Lounge much more composed. She had taken a while to get there. Stopping for a cold drink of water, checking her make-up in hte bathroom to make sure she hadn't accidentally cried at all, and checking the PeT for system updates had all delayed her.
By the time she arrived, the second round was already beginning. As a result, the room was almost empty. There was a man in the middle of the room, tall and thin and not especially interesting looking. She walked by him with a wave and plugged her PeT into a port on a chair as she glanced over the screens.
As SummonerMan sat watching all of Round 1, Part 2's battles being downloaded and all of Round 2's battles being streamed and downloaded, Rose looked through each battle.
She first noticed that the battles were only just beginning, for the most part. "Good, they're only just starting. I haven't missed much then." She commented aloud. She then noticed that two of the participants she had met before this round, the Navis belonging to Damian and Burt (she shivered a tiny bit at the thought of him) were mysteriously absent. In their places were two Navis she didn't recognize. Not only this, but while she had been out, a Navi in her own round had been swapped out for a replacement.
She looked regretfully at her PeT and tried to decide what to do. "Well, " she thought, "I can either wait until it's all done and get names and e-mails then, or I can go now. But that'll mean I have to interrupt all my downloads and streams. . ." She looked around for a bit, thinking.
"Unless..." It occurred to her, with a smile She turned towards the door and ran out at full speed, slowing down whenever she past someone official looking, or when she passed through crowds.
Having left her PeT behind, she hoped nothing would come of it and made a very quick pace.
Rose made it back in time to find her PeT untouched. She was glad of that. And, once she came to a rest, a bit exhausted. She had run very fast there, and knew she was probably a bit red in the face, from the warmth on her cheeks.
With her breath harsh on her neck, she walked back to her seat, PeT and all, and sunk into it for a brief break. She needed a rest.
But she had gleamed some names. "Bruce Maxwell and Gunther.EXE", "Miriya Takemura and Mirage.EXE", and "Sonia Sorensen and CoronaMan.EXE". And, while she was taking her break and watching the matches, she could begin jotting down some preliminary notes for her article.
SummonerMan had spent the whole time quietly observing the matches, and continued to do so. He hadn't quite felt like being a jerk to Rose or himself yet, and there was no one else around to act as a passive aggressive release for him, so he sat quietly smoldering and enjoyed the matches.
By the time she arrived, the second round was already beginning. As a result, the room was almost empty. There was a man in the middle of the room, tall and thin and not especially interesting looking. She walked by him with a wave and plugged her PeT into a port on a chair as she glanced over the screens.
As SummonerMan sat watching all of Round 1, Part 2's battles being downloaded and all of Round 2's battles being streamed and downloaded, Rose looked through each battle.
She first noticed that the battles were only just beginning, for the most part. "Good, they're only just starting. I haven't missed much then." She commented aloud. She then noticed that two of the participants she had met before this round, the Navis belonging to Damian and Burt (she shivered a tiny bit at the thought of him) were mysteriously absent. In their places were two Navis she didn't recognize. Not only this, but while she had been out, a Navi in her own round had been swapped out for a replacement.
She looked regretfully at her PeT and tried to decide what to do. "Well, " she thought, "I can either wait until it's all done and get names and e-mails then, or I can go now. But that'll mean I have to interrupt all my downloads and streams. . ." She looked around for a bit, thinking.
"Unless..." It occurred to her, with a smile She turned towards the door and ran out at full speed, slowing down whenever she past someone official looking, or when she passed through crowds.
Having left her PeT behind, she hoped nothing would come of it and made a very quick pace.
**************************
Rose made it back in time to find her PeT untouched. She was glad of that. And, once she came to a rest, a bit exhausted. She had run very fast there, and knew she was probably a bit red in the face, from the warmth on her cheeks.
With her breath harsh on her neck, she walked back to her seat, PeT and all, and sunk into it for a brief break. She needed a rest.
But she had gleamed some names. "Bruce Maxwell and Gunther.EXE", "Miriya Takemura and Mirage.EXE", and "Sonia Sorensen and CoronaMan.EXE". And, while she was taking her break and watching the matches, she could begin jotting down some preliminary notes for her article.
SummonerMan had spent the whole time quietly observing the matches, and continued to do so. He hadn't quite felt like being a jerk to Rose or himself yet, and there was no one else around to act as a passive aggressive release for him, so he sat quietly smoldering and enjoyed the matches.
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Aelieth entered the Spectator's Lounge, still disappointed that the round had ended so... anticlimactically. Well, he thought with a wry smile, at least we managed to make it to round three... not that I expect we'll get much farther... He let out a sigh, his slouch earned from countless hours in front of a computer becoming more pronounced as he did so. Straightening up, to the applause of his back, he began to move to the center of the room when a vibration at his hip caused him to stop. Reaching down and unclipping his PET, he activated the screen to see Holoß holding up a sign:
"[Since we didn't get to fight, may we bust while we wait? I'm still brimming with energy.]"
"Sure" the Operator said, looking around for a place to jack in. He spotted a chair in the corner, nobody around and out of the way; perfect for those who prefer to not speak with others. He started towards it, but stopped once more. What was the point of trying to become a better people person if he just sat in the corner when not forced to interact? Looking around, he spotted a young woman whom he remembered waving to him when he was last in the Lounge. He approached the chair next to hers, the familiar pang of social nervousness rising within his belly. He noted with relief that the feeling was noticeably muted compared to past experiences.
"Hello. Mind if I sit here?"
"[Since we didn't get to fight, may we bust while we wait? I'm still brimming with energy.]"
"Sure" the Operator said, looking around for a place to jack in. He spotted a chair in the corner, nobody around and out of the way; perfect for those who prefer to not speak with others. He started towards it, but stopped once more. What was the point of trying to become a better people person if he just sat in the corner when not forced to interact? Looking around, he spotted a young woman whom he remembered waving to him when he was last in the Lounge. He approached the chair next to hers, the familiar pang of social nervousness rising within his belly. He noted with relief that the feeling was noticeably muted compared to past experiences.
"Hello. Mind if I sit here?"
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Rose looked up and put on a smile for the newly entered person. She recognized him from the screen, having seen him broadcasted across them until moments ago, when his match ended anticlimactically.
She remembered, though it seemed like forever ago, having waved to him in the lounge before her match. She hadn't gotten intorduced to him then, and though the screen he had been on pretty clearly read "WINNER: Aelith Hadrok and Holoß.NET", she decided she'd go with introducing herself anyway.
"Hi there." She replied, after only a short pause for so long a mental run through. "Sure, no problem at all. In fact, I'm sure I'd be glad for the company."
"I'm Rose Dunrae, by the way." She said, turning to him. from the close proximity a handshake would be somewhat awkward, but she attempted to offer one all the same. "I'm mainly here to cover this for a NewsPaper I put out on the Net. I was in round one, but I lost a by a bit." She said, accidentally allowing her voice to get a bit more somber before regaining 100% composure.
Rose decided to allow him to respond before overloading him. She didn't want to be overly pushy, of course.
SummonerMan stayed disrespectfully distant from the conversation, still watching the new matches. (Of course, based on how he generally acted in conversation, Rose would probably gain more respect if he stayed absent.)
She remembered, though it seemed like forever ago, having waved to him in the lounge before her match. She hadn't gotten intorduced to him then, and though the screen he had been on pretty clearly read "WINNER: Aelith Hadrok and Holoß.NET", she decided she'd go with introducing herself anyway.
"Hi there." She replied, after only a short pause for so long a mental run through. "Sure, no problem at all. In fact, I'm sure I'd be glad for the company."
"I'm Rose Dunrae, by the way." She said, turning to him. from the close proximity a handshake would be somewhat awkward, but she attempted to offer one all the same. "I'm mainly here to cover this for a NewsPaper I put out on the Net. I was in round one, but I lost a by a bit." She said, accidentally allowing her voice to get a bit more somber before regaining 100% composure.
Rose decided to allow him to respond before overloading him. She didn't want to be overly pushy, of course.
SummonerMan stayed disrespectfully distant from the conversation, still watching the new matches. (Of course, based on how he generally acted in conversation, Rose would probably gain more respect if he stayed absent.)
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Twisting in the seat he had just occupied, Aelieth tried his best to return Rose's handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Rose. I'm Aelieth." He listened as Rose continued her introduction, putting on what he hoped was a casual smile. Nothing like a complete stranger with a creepy smile to ruin a conversation, he thought.
An audible BEEP! rang from the PET as Holo impatiently reminded Aelieth that he was next to a terminal and not on a Network yet. "Oop. One second..." he excused himself. Detaching the PET from this belt, he plugged it into the terminal in the chair and pressed the button that would send Holoß into the Network. He'd worry about supplying him with chips when it comes up. "Sorry about that. So, you're covering the tournament? Just the highlights, or a full, in depth analysis?"
An audible BEEP! rang from the PET as Holo impatiently reminded Aelieth that he was next to a terminal and not on a Network yet. "Oop. One second..." he excused himself. Detaching the PET from this belt, he plugged it into the terminal in the chair and pressed the button that would send Holoß into the Network. He'd worry about supplying him with chips when it comes up. "Sorry about that. So, you're covering the tournament? Just the highlights, or a full, in depth analysis?"
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Returning from the arenas, Duke collapsed into his (still unoccupied) chair from earlier. "Here, you go entertain yourself killing viruses for awhile," he said, jacking Pianissimo into a nearby port. "I'm gonna take a nap."
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ViralMan returned from the viewing area to his PET. Having a look at what Zeo was doing, he was pleased to find his operator actually working. "Finally done programming my upgrades?" the navi asked hopefully. Zeo smiled and replied with a cheerful, "Yep. Are you finished watching the tournament?" ViralMan nodded and his helmet appeared on his head. "Are we going busting here in Netopia, then?"
Zeo shook his head. "I was considering it, but I think it'd be a better idea to head somewhere closer to home. Electown, maybe." ViralMan shrugged and settled down to rest until he was needed again. As he did this, Zeo put the PET in its holster and said his goodbyes. "It was nice meeting all of you. Hopefully I'll see some of you around, or maybe I'll actually enter the next tournament."
He made for the door with a quick wave, feeling that he social skills had improved somewhat thanks to this.
Zeo shook his head. "I was considering it, but I think it'd be a better idea to head somewhere closer to home. Electown, maybe." ViralMan shrugged and settled down to rest until he was needed again. As he did this, Zeo put the PET in its holster and said his goodbyes. "It was nice meeting all of you. Hopefully I'll see some of you around, or maybe I'll actually enter the next tournament."
He made for the door with a quick wave, feeling that he social skills had improved somewhat thanks to this.
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Mill walked into the lounge, immediately looked up at the screen displaying the brackets, and was taken aback at how quickly most of the matches ended. In fact, there were only 2 still underway at this point. Looks like his opponent had been decided too... "MachMan, huh... Well, getting up to the third round means this won't be easy regardless of the opponent."
"This would be a lot easier if my old upgrades hadn't been destroyed before you found me..." lamented Anyis. Conveniently, the tournament commentators started up a highlight of Djinni vs. MachMan on a screen across the room... and with good reason. That was a wild match right up to the end, and probably the most intense either Mill or Anyis had seen up to this point. Both fought really well, to the point where they were both concerned for the next match.
"... Want to go do another warmup battle on the Net? It seemed to help last time." asked Mill, breaking the awkward silenece that had fallen over them.
"Yeah, alright. Jack me into Hades Net. I could stand venting some tension on the Fire viruses there."
"Only you would go to Hades for stress relief." sighed Mill as he jacked his PET into the lounge's public terminal and ran his Navi through the necessary links to land her at the firey inferno.
(Jack In, Hades Net)
"This would be a lot easier if my old upgrades hadn't been destroyed before you found me..." lamented Anyis. Conveniently, the tournament commentators started up a highlight of Djinni vs. MachMan on a screen across the room... and with good reason. That was a wild match right up to the end, and probably the most intense either Mill or Anyis had seen up to this point. Both fought really well, to the point where they were both concerned for the next match.
"... Want to go do another warmup battle on the Net? It seemed to help last time." asked Mill, breaking the awkward silenece that had fallen over them.
"Yeah, alright. Jack me into Hades Net. I could stand venting some tension on the Fire viruses there."
"Only you would go to Hades for stress relief." sighed Mill as he jacked his PET into the lounge's public terminal and ran his Navi through the necessary links to land her at the firey inferno.
(Jack In, Hades Net)
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Steve walked back into the lounge. He thought about punching the soda machine again, but decided it had taken enough abuse for the right now. He plopped down in a chair near a jack-in port.
"Better get grinding, Druidman. I want to beef us up for the next round, if possible." he said into his old PET. And with that, he jacked Druidman in.
...
After a few minutes, however, Steve jumped up, gave Druidman a few instructions, and then bolted from the door, bound for Scilabs down the street.
...
Only to return a short while later, with the largest possible smile that have ever been recorded in history. Maybe.
"Better get grinding, Druidman. I want to beef us up for the next round, if possible." he said into his old PET. And with that, he jacked Druidman in.
...
After a few minutes, however, Steve jumped up, gave Druidman a few instructions, and then bolted from the door, bound for Scilabs down the street.
...
Only to return a short while later, with the largest possible smile that have ever been recorded in history. Maybe.
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Shamus walks into the lounge and sits down in the nearest seat. Most of the people here are probably not paying any attention to the door, but rather looking at the screens of the matches that seem to take days, but are really over in minutes. Shamus spots a port in his seat, and decides to jack his navi into whatever Internet is connected to the seat at that moment. Mind as well watch Gear destroy everything in his path while waiting for the next match for that Valkyrie navi to appear on screen.
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"Hello Aelith, nice to meet you." Came Rose's reply.
Before answering his question though, she thought breifly. "Oh, well. . . Well, the paper will probably breifly outline the various battles and contestants and run through some of the highlights of the tournament. I think so, at least."
"Looks like a lot of people decided to wander in..." She said, more to herself than anyone else, but aloud all the same.
She realized she hadn't seen much of this round, so she considered breifly catching up.
Before answering his question though, she thought breifly. "Oh, well. . . Well, the paper will probably breifly outline the various battles and contestants and run through some of the highlights of the tournament. I think so, at least."
"Looks like a lot of people decided to wander in..." She said, more to herself than anyone else, but aloud all the same.
She realized she hadn't seen much of this round, so she considered breifly catching up.
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"Huh..." Aelieth exclaimed, taking note of the new arrivals when he heard Rose's comment. "Yeah, it looks that way..."
His expended chips ejected from the PET, alerting him to the end of Holo's fight. He laid them back out before returning to the conversation. Recaps of past fights and the live feed from the remaining one caught his eye.
"So, who're you guessing for the finals?" he asked, trying so pose the question in such a way that he didn't sound self promoting. "My money's on Machman.EXE and..." he looked at the monitors for a moment before choosing the second. "... Pianissimo.EXE. Both of them look really strong." the Operator finished lamely. Conversation was coming harder to him. Introductions were over and soon the point that most of his conversations die would be at hand. Time to work on this... he thought as he waited to see if his, albeit, forced attempt to maintain the conversation would pan out.
His expended chips ejected from the PET, alerting him to the end of Holo's fight. He laid them back out before returning to the conversation. Recaps of past fights and the live feed from the remaining one caught his eye.
"So, who're you guessing for the finals?" he asked, trying so pose the question in such a way that he didn't sound self promoting. "My money's on Machman.EXE and..." he looked at the monitors for a moment before choosing the second. "... Pianissimo.EXE. Both of them look really strong." the Operator finished lamely. Conversation was coming harder to him. Introductions were over and soon the point that most of his conversations die would be at hand. Time to work on this... he thought as he waited to see if his, albeit, forced attempt to maintain the conversation would pan out.
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Rose casually thought about her picks for the finals, and very briefly considered toying or teasing him into looking at her next issue for her opinion (it was bound to be there, after all), but she changed her mind.
Looking over the brackets, she tried to pick the ones she preferred. "I might have to guess. . . Maybe Anyis and. . ." She glanced at the other bracket, "Valkyrie."
She then thought about her picks, and his. "Anyis I picked because she looked pretty capable in her other matches, and that strengthen and icey fist combo should be pretty powerful." She didn't mention the facts that the navi was both female and had beaten the navi who had beaten her navi, which meant she was inadvertently routing for it.
"Valkyrie seemed really powerful. Not as much strategy as brute strength. I like you and all, but I'm not quite sure you can take her in a fair fight, no offense." She added this last sentence quickly when she realized the very man she was chatting with was Valkyrie's next victim.
"Your picks are interesting, but. . . you do realize that your picks for the finals aren't going to happen, right?" She said, when she got to the discussion of them. She walked over and pointed at the brackets. "These two slots here are for the finals. . . Which means one person from over here will make it, and one from over here." She pointed to each section as she went. "The two you picked are both in the same bracket, so they can't play eachother in the finals." She pointed at both names, too, just because she was there.
After returning to her seat, she decided to press a more accurate answer from him. "So if those two you named are semi-finalists, who goes onto the finals? And who goes to finals from the other half?" She was enjoying the conversation. She had somewhat tired of the current round and was looking forward to the next one.
Looking over the brackets, she tried to pick the ones she preferred. "I might have to guess. . . Maybe Anyis and. . ." She glanced at the other bracket, "Valkyrie."
She then thought about her picks, and his. "Anyis I picked because she looked pretty capable in her other matches, and that strengthen and icey fist combo should be pretty powerful." She didn't mention the facts that the navi was both female and had beaten the navi who had beaten her navi, which meant she was inadvertently routing for it.
"Valkyrie seemed really powerful. Not as much strategy as brute strength. I like you and all, but I'm not quite sure you can take her in a fair fight, no offense." She added this last sentence quickly when she realized the very man she was chatting with was Valkyrie's next victim.
"Your picks are interesting, but. . . you do realize that your picks for the finals aren't going to happen, right?" She said, when she got to the discussion of them. She walked over and pointed at the brackets. "These two slots here are for the finals. . . Which means one person from over here will make it, and one from over here." She pointed to each section as she went. "The two you picked are both in the same bracket, so they can't play eachother in the finals." She pointed at both names, too, just because she was there.
After returning to her seat, she decided to press a more accurate answer from him. "So if those two you named are semi-finalists, who goes onto the finals? And who goes to finals from the other half?" She was enjoying the conversation. She had somewhat tired of the current round and was looking forward to the next one.
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Hot embarrassment snaked up the back of his neck as he realized that he had, in fact, picked two contestants who could would only fight in the finals by an act of god, which was coincidentally what he needed to make it to the finals as well. All of a sudden he wished he had paid more attention during the initial fights, rather than going off of the highlight reel.
"Oh... oops... Well, if I had to pick between Machman and Pianissimo, I think Pianissimo would win. From what little I've seen of their fights, Pianissimo managed to pull off the deciding blow with a sizable portion of his health remaining, even though he was almost taken down afterward, where as Machman's fight was down to the wire. As an opponent..." He looked at the reels again, making sure that he picked someone from the opposing bracket this time. He didn't even entertain the notion that him and Holoß would somehow manage to get that far. "... I'd say either Valkyrie or Druidman. On the one hand, Druidman looks like he has more stamina Red or Valkyrie, which means that he can focus more on delivering strong attacks and spend less time worrying about taking a hit or two. On the other hand, Valkyrie seems to have a knack for taking out shapeshifting Navis," he chuckled, taking a shot at his chances. Aelieth's glance shifted to the side, something akin to disappointment briefly flashed in his eyes even as the laughter left his throat. The emotion disappeared quickly, however, as his gaze returned to his conversation partner.
"I dunno... I guess I'll put Valkyrie against Pianissimo. At least that way the Navi that'll probably take us," he gestured at his PET, "out of the running'll have a shot at winning. It'd soften the blow to my pride to lose to the champion." He smiled.
"Oh... oops... Well, if I had to pick between Machman and Pianissimo, I think Pianissimo would win. From what little I've seen of their fights, Pianissimo managed to pull off the deciding blow with a sizable portion of his health remaining, even though he was almost taken down afterward, where as Machman's fight was down to the wire. As an opponent..." He looked at the reels again, making sure that he picked someone from the opposing bracket this time. He didn't even entertain the notion that him and Holoß would somehow manage to get that far. "... I'd say either Valkyrie or Druidman. On the one hand, Druidman looks like he has more stamina Red or Valkyrie, which means that he can focus more on delivering strong attacks and spend less time worrying about taking a hit or two. On the other hand, Valkyrie seems to have a knack for taking out shapeshifting Navis," he chuckled, taking a shot at his chances. Aelieth's glance shifted to the side, something akin to disappointment briefly flashed in his eyes even as the laughter left his throat. The emotion disappeared quickly, however, as his gaze returned to his conversation partner.
"I dunno... I guess I'll put Valkyrie against Pianissimo. At least that way the Navi that'll probably take us," he gestured at his PET, "out of the running'll have a shot at winning. It'd soften the blow to my pride to lose to the champion." He smiled.
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"I'm sorry." Rose said. "But I think the navi who took the navi who took my navi out of the tournament needs to win in order to soften the blow to my pride." She smiled almost. . . playfully, as she said this, in order to reassure the fellow she was alking to that she didn't really take offense to it. "Besides, if Anysi beats Valkyrie then we'd both be the same number of people removed from the winner."
"You never know, though, you could pull out a win." She shrugged. "I mean, nobody's seen much of your fighting. And besides, anything's possible as long as you're still in it."
This, of course, meant that SummonerMan was very unlikely to win the tournament. To be fair, so was her conversation partner's navi, but for him it was at the least a vague possibility.
"Well then, want to uh. . ." She tried to think of something to do. "Well, we could discuss who you'd theoretically prefer to fight next, if you beat your opponent." She thought more. "We could also watch Valkyrie's last battles and see if we can find a flaw." She tapped her Pet. "I've got everything we've been shown so far recorded on here. We could discuss battle strategy. Talk about chips, the tourney folders, anything. Or we could chat about something unrelated to all this tournament stuff. The possibilities are endless. " She listed them off, by the end, rather disinterestedly. At the least this could be seen as an open invitation for Aelith to pick a topic. At most he could somehow become freaked out by the concept that Rose had both tired of him and as forcing herself to speak to him, if he was the hyper paranoid type.
She smiled contentedly at him as she awaited an answer with a leading, "So. . ."
"You never know, though, you could pull out a win." She shrugged. "I mean, nobody's seen much of your fighting. And besides, anything's possible as long as you're still in it."
This, of course, meant that SummonerMan was very unlikely to win the tournament. To be fair, so was her conversation partner's navi, but for him it was at the least a vague possibility.
"Well then, want to uh. . ." She tried to think of something to do. "Well, we could discuss who you'd theoretically prefer to fight next, if you beat your opponent." She thought more. "We could also watch Valkyrie's last battles and see if we can find a flaw." She tapped her Pet. "I've got everything we've been shown so far recorded on here. We could discuss battle strategy. Talk about chips, the tourney folders, anything. Or we could chat about something unrelated to all this tournament stuff. The possibilities are endless. " She listed them off, by the end, rather disinterestedly. At the least this could be seen as an open invitation for Aelith to pick a topic. At most he could somehow become freaked out by the concept that Rose had both tired of him and as forcing herself to speak to him, if he was the hyper paranoid type.
She smiled contentedly at him as she awaited an answer with a leading, "So. . ."
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"Hmm..." Aelieth cast about the room, thinking upon conversation topics. Though keeping in the realm of the tournament would be easiest, he couldn't think of anything more to say on the subject. He really hadn't been battling long enough to have an exhaustive list of Battle Chips he wanted, during school he was more focused on the actual NetNavis than the data they used, and his strategies were usually improvised rather than thought out and well planned, so those were out of the question.... His eyes were drawn to the corner of the room, where a small shelf sat, old boxes stacked upon it. "One sec..." he said, getting up as one box caught his eye.
He crouched down as he reached the shelf, then pulled one box out of the middle of the stack. He opened it up, taking a quick survey of the pieces, then closed it and strode back to Rose. "Would you like to play a game of Chess?" he asked, gesturing at the game set as he sat down.
He crouched down as he reached the shelf, then pulled one box out of the middle of the stack. He opened it up, taking a quick survey of the pieces, then closed it and strode back to Rose. "Would you like to play a game of Chess?" he asked, gesturing at the game set as he sat down.
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Rose looked up and wondered about what he could be doing when the young man she was talking to said "One sec" and walked off. She considered multiple possibilities, including getting refreshments and excusing himself for the bathroom, but ended up surprised when he invited her to play a game of chess.
"Well, that certainly is unrelated." She said aloud, before nodding. "And it sounds like fun. Sure, let's do it." A smile should her genuine interest in the game suggested by this meek young man she had been speaking too. He was proving more fun than she had guessed from first impressions. "I can only hope the game remains interesting." She thought with what would have been a mental shrug.
Looking at the box, she then gestured to the floor. "We should probably play on the ground, though. I can't imagine balancing the board on these seats would work well."
She didn't really mind that there'd be people watching, as she hadn't suggested it, and it takes two to play chess, so she couldn't be singled out. Besides, being an outgoing person, worrying about others' opinions of her wasn't a huge concern, unless, as a networker, it made her look bad.
"I call being white, though." She said, as she stood up out of her seat and faced the spot on the ground where she figured he'd move the box too. "Won't sit down yet, just incase we aren't playing on the ground. Don't want to waste that effort and look foolish" She thought to herself.
"Well, that certainly is unrelated." She said aloud, before nodding. "And it sounds like fun. Sure, let's do it." A smile should her genuine interest in the game suggested by this meek young man she had been speaking too. He was proving more fun than she had guessed from first impressions. "I can only hope the game remains interesting." She thought with what would have been a mental shrug.
Looking at the box, she then gestured to the floor. "We should probably play on the ground, though. I can't imagine balancing the board on these seats would work well."
She didn't really mind that there'd be people watching, as she hadn't suggested it, and it takes two to play chess, so she couldn't be singled out. Besides, being an outgoing person, worrying about others' opinions of her wasn't a huge concern, unless, as a networker, it made her look bad.
"I call being white, though." She said, as she stood up out of her seat and faced the spot on the ground where she figured he'd move the box too. "Won't sit down yet, just incase we aren't playing on the ground. Don't want to waste that effort and look foolish" She thought to herself.
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"Sure." Aelieth said, in response to both the playing on the floor and her choice of color. He shifted to the ground, opening the box and unfolding the board in the space between them. Used to keeping to himself, he often found his way to a corner or someplace out of the way in social settings, which drew odd looks at times. Over the years he had grown used to it, though, and moving the game here didn't seem out of place to him at all.
Grabbing the pieces a handful at a time, Aelieth began assembling the game board with surprising dexterity, born from the years of working with his hands, usually on a computer. Moments later he backed away from the board and sat cross-legged upon the ground, each piece not only occupying the correct spot but also sitting dead center in their squares.
He looked up at Rose, smiling. "After you." He said, gesturing at the spot across the board from him.
Grabbing the pieces a handful at a time, Aelieth began assembling the game board with surprising dexterity, born from the years of working with his hands, usually on a computer. Moments later he backed away from the board and sat cross-legged upon the ground, each piece not only occupying the correct spot but also sitting dead center in their squares.
He looked up at Rose, smiling. "After you." He said, gesturing at the spot across the board from him.
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Rose sat down once Aelieth did.
After he set up the pieces as quickly as he did, she looked them over, now sitting indian style behind the white side. "Very nice..." She said, in an appraisal sort of voice.
After he invited her to go first, she responded and made her move. "Thank you very much, my chivalrouos knight." She sad with a smile. "The lady shall move her pawn from B2 to B4." And with these words she picked up that very same mentioned piece and moved it to the location she had called. The brave little white soldier sat alone in center field, and Rose awaited her opponent's first move.
After he set up the pieces as quickly as he did, she looked them over, now sitting indian style behind the white side. "Very nice..." She said, in an appraisal sort of voice.
After he invited her to go first, she responded and made her move. "Thank you very much, my chivalrouos knight." She sad with a smile. "The lady shall move her pawn from B2 to B4." And with these words she picked up that very same mentioned piece and moved it to the location she had called. The brave little white soldier sat alone in center field, and Rose awaited her opponent's first move.
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"A fine move, m'lady." Aelieth grinned, adopting Rose's style of speaking.
"I believe I shall counter in the following manner." he said, selecting the pawn at D7 and sliding it up to D5. The ebon grunt began his journey to his inevitable death. Poor, poor little pawn. The good always die young...
"I believe I shall counter in the following manner." he said, selecting the pawn at D7 and sliding it up to D5. The ebon grunt began his journey to his inevitable death. Poor, poor little pawn. The good always die young...