15[20:13] One down! Dryas, Piu, and Zhangyu were able to bring the notorious pirates of the Red Fraction onside, at least on a contingent basis. They'll have more business to discuss later; you know where to find them now. Where does Piu find Daizo to bring him up to speed? [20:14] 4Probably in the apartments they've been granted for the duration of their stay, she'll want to change out of playtime clothes and into business clothes -- yes, they are slightly different -- and perhaps work in a bath. Vamping around the casino floor all day is hard work. 15[20:15] Certainly the way Piu does it, it is. It didn't seem like most of the other femmes fatales out there were giving their all. [20:16] 4Like the great bard says, 'You gotta work, bitch.' [20:18] 10The Saucer, as an enclave of civilization in the vast and pitiless sea, has its fair share of reading rooms. No tomes of forgotten lore or arcane knowledge in them, at least not in the ones Daizo can get into right now, but what there is, is a wealth of collected treatises on strategies at how to come out on top at games of skill, intellect, and chance. Daizo's working through a mean-looking Gateway puzzle when Piu finds him, [20:18] 10 and his concentration is so intense that it takes him a full minute to notice that she's turned up. [20:18] 4Anyway, hopefully they've got a tasteful conference room or something and she won't have to explain to Caxi why she cornered Daizo in the bathhouses or something. [20:18] "Brother! We gotta talk." [20:20] 10Daizo: "Sure thing. I wasn't getting anywhere with this one… a break might do me some good. What's the latest?" [20:21] "I was down at the docks today when I caught a twelve-year-old boy in a schoolboy outfit staring at my ass. Understandable, save that one of them was an agent of Heaven and current captain of that black jadeclad behemoth we've got our eyes on." [20:21] *that he was [20:23] 10Daizo: "Well well. So he decided to show himself. And that jade ship belongs to him?" [20:24] "Is it for sale?" [20:24] "I get the feeling their interest in and ownership of it was only going to be temporary from the beginning. Especially since he provided me the condition on which we could take that ship off of his hands." [20:25] 10Daizo: "Did it involve your ass?" [20:25] "Kidding! Kidding." [20:26] 4She rolls her eyes. "If it were that easy, it'd be ours already. No, sadly, I -- we -- have to go to this Ludo character and tell him 99 sent us. And fulfill whatever challenge is laid out to us there. Which I assume will involve all of this." 4She looks over the Gateway puzzler. [20:29] 10Daizo heaves a momentary sigh. "So I guess I'm really committed, then. See, Ludo is just half of the team." [20:30] "The other half is a demon in a box. That's the real Gateway master. Ludo is just… something the demon uses to get around and move pieces for it. I think." [20:31] "The puppet that controls the puppeteer. Same old story!" [20:32] 4Piu: "I don't understand what the rest of us are going to do while you beat him at Gateway, though. Unless he transports us to his magical realm where we have to be Gateway pieces on the board." [20:32] 10Daizo: "The downside, of course, is that if you lose a game against the demon, it gets a claim on your soul. So you see why I was having second thoughts about playing against them." [20:34] 10Daizo: "Mm. Good question. I'm not even sure what Sigereth—that's the box demon—getting my soul would entail. Do I get dragged screaming into the Demon Realm on the spot? Or do I wind up like some dream-eaten fae husk?" [20:37] "Kind of need to get these things ironed out before I sign any blood contracts, you know?" [20:38] "Caxi's offered me her full support, though. Which is a relief." [20:39] 4Piu nods seriously. "She is our resident demon-knower!" [20:40] 4Technically that formulation can also mean 'demon-fucker,' which Piu doesn't seem to acknowledge. [20:41] 10Well, I mean, she's had that neomah ever since the iron ship. Daizo's kind of been thinking about having it join in—wait! No, we're dealing with serious stuff here. [20:42] 4That's what it's there for~ 15[20:43] Honestly not clear to Daizo what the neomah *does* do. They're almost never manifested but Daizo can always feel them Around, and a peek through a mirror usually reveals the neomah sleeping or in some kind of meditative trance, or else doing weird Cronenberg shit with their skin and muscles etc. [20:46] 10An immaterial thrall is still a nice trick to keep in your bag.  [20:47] 4Piu: "Anyway, I'd like to at least know the score on that sooner rather than later. Maybe this will be a special bout, with non-soul-eating stakes." [20:47] 10Daizo clears his throat, downs a cup of tea that's gone lukewarm. "So. If you need to see Ludo and negotiate with him, and I need to see Sigereth and negotiate with her, it seems like our next step is clear." [20:48] "No time like the present." [20:48] "Should we get Dryas? Zhangyu will be fine, he's probably mooning over that boy that wants to kill him, but Dryas would feel left out." [20:49] "Oh, and also--" 4Piu summarizes recent events with the crew of the Red Fraction, the "Linthans" she met running the Petrel, and the near-fight between Eska and Sadako. "--so I didn't really know that was how Seiri felt about prizefighting until now, but I can't say it particularly shocks me." [20:51] 10Daizo: "…there's a lot to chew on there. I'm not surprised either—I think the spiritual aspect of a martial art appeals to her more than just winning fights does." [20:53] 4Piu: "Pity, because those two definitely need the closure of going all out on each other for a couple rounds. Especially since Eska's a Golden Anathema and Sadako functionally can't die." [20:54] "Although I know Seiri wants to crack at least a few heads. You've seen the look in her eyes too, right?" [20:54] "Just… for her it has to be in service of a principle. I can respect that." [20:55] 4Piu: "It takes a certain degree of service to a principle to call me an animal to my face." [20:55] "But hey, I've been called worse!" [20:57] "Mm. Yeah." 10Cynis Lena learned the price of that, at least.  [20:58] "Come on, let's get moving or I'm going to start getting mopey. Did Dryas tell you where she was going to be?" [20:58] 4Piu: "Drunk somewhere~" [20:58] 07Does the golden saucer have a race track? [20:58] "Perhaps she's sobered up, but we've had a lot of alcohol diplomacy the past week. Hell if it hasn't worked though!" 15[20:59] Of course! Emas racing, primarily — the track is quite ornate. [21:00] 4Piu: "Actually I think she's at the racetrack. I wonder if she has a system." [21:00] 10Emas? Nani heck is an emas? [21:00] "'Cynis girls always have a system.' That's not actually a saying but I feel like it should be." 15[21:01] Emas are beasts of burden native to the South — large, flightless, flax-feathered birds prized over horses in harsh climates for their hardiness and lower feed requirements. 15[21:02] They're not native to the Isle but they're frequent status symbols or beloved pets of Dynasts and wealthy patricians. https://i.imgur.com/femA05N.jpg [21:03] 10Got it. Kweh. 15[21:09] The Golden Saucer's racecourse is a sweeping, violently colorful space winding through a large chunk of the resort. Daizo and Piu pass directly beneath a rainbow-colored stretch of track that swoops out from the stands and betting-booths to form a sort of arch over the entrance to the area. A flock of emas and their riders thunder overhead, the whole thing visible from artfully placed 15[21:09] mirrors all around them, above and at eye level. 15[21:11] Bunny-suited attendants are at their sides instantly with complimentary drinks and helpful directions. That way's the staging area where you can meet the jockeys. That way's the book. That way's the stands and the viewing rotunda. That way's the restaurant... [21:13] "When I was a kid, once a year our family would go to Juche city for the chariot races. The hippodrome there was supposed to go at least as far back as the Shogunate. We were just hanging onto patrician status by a thread, so our box was small and the view wasn't great… but looking out at the stands, you still felt like a king. My grandmother used numerology to pick her bets, rather than being loyal to this or that team… it [21:13] worked, too. Horse betting was one of the ways we kept our heads above water back then." [21:14] 10Daizo's just kind of ruminating about his memories of race courses. Piu can either listen or just let it go in one ear and out the other. [21:14] 4Piu will briefly glance at the restaurant to see if Jing is running his 'I'm a hungry boy you gotta feed me' scam again. [21:14] 4Piu is an excellent listener. 15[21:16] Piu doesn't see him, or hear him... [21:17] 4Well, a double-order of dumplings or the equivalent is a small price to pay for company from a pirate captain, when they're in the market for such as friends. So she'll keep her eyes and ears open. [21:20] 4Presumably Dryas will be in one of the more action-oriented segments of the track. 15[21:20] What is Dryas doing, and where is she, when Daizo and Piu happen upon her. 15[21:20] *? [21:22] 07Dryas takes it all in from the box seats, pleasantly drunk, with a drink in one hand and a rather adorable spyglass in the other. Probably some proteges from the ship are around somewhere. [21:22] 4Knew it! [21:22] 4Piu will have what she's having, on the same tab she's having it on. 15[21:24] Dryas is well-attended, by her little majordomo Tataru, her ward Sadako, and Sadako's companion Seiri. Tataru grips the railing and mutters "c'mon, cmon, c'mon...!" while Sadako and Seiri are vibing a little closer to Dryas's wavelength, although more soberly in demeanor and fact. [21:25] 07Sister! Brother! [21:27] 4Piu supposes she should still be annoyed with Seiri, but will give her and Sadako the same level of cheer in greetings, with a more abbreviated one to the clearly-busy little administrative aide. "Sister! Saw you were drinking, put one for me on your tab. Are you up or down?" [21:28] 10Daizo: "None for me. I need to stay sharp." [21:29] 4Piu flirts better when she's buzzed. [21:29] 07Dryas: "Oh, after our little experience at the fighting pit, I'm not throwing good money after bad. I'm getting a look at the field before putting anything else in." [21:30] 4Piu: "As I didn't have the ability to mention to you before given our company...I have a line on that black jadeclad." [21:30] 07Dryas swivels, staring at her for a moment through the spyglass. "Delightful! Who's the owner??" [21:30] 10Daizo: "Smart. Are you girls wagering?" [21:31] 4Piu: "A twelve-year-old boy who loves my ass, and isn't a twelve-year-old at all. Agents of heaven." 15[21:31] Sadako shakes her head. Seiri: "I put a dinar down on the Teo! That's the black one." [21:32] "And the jadeclad ours will never be, unless we complete their labors twee. You know how it is." 15[21:32] There is an unusual diversity of colors among the emas on the track. The black one is about half a length behind the blue one in front, running third? No, wait, fourth. No, third-- 15[21:33] Sadako: "Do you have to beat him up?" [21:33] 10Daizo: "The jockey with the hat? Oh! He's making a break for it!" [21:34] 4Piu: "We have to pass some test of his devilish design, administered by a soul-stealing Gateway player and their box demon." [21:34] 07Dryas, gesturing at the track for a moment: "Come on!" 07Back to Piu: "Come on! More heavenly agents?!" [21:34] 4Piu: "One of them is a repeat heavenly agent! The wedding singer from Brightwork has survived to play another tune." [21:35] 4Really though, a box demon is more properly what you'd call a neom---nevermind. 15[21:35] Seiri, who hadn't been making eye contact with Piu before now, aside from briefly at her greeting, is pulled away from the race. "Mockingbird is here?" [21:35] 4Piu: "Last seen in the baths, getting chewed out by a superior, I think. That was Daizo's take?" [21:36] 10Daizo wrenches his attention from the track as well. "I took a wrong turn on purpose and found myself eavesdropping. It sounded more convivial than being chewed out." [21:37] 4Piu: "That's how you know it was a real chewing out." [21:38] "Well, if you say so. But, anyway, apparently his mission in Brightwork was to get that album to Lady Garnet. Everything else, even helping us, sounded like it was a side benefit… I think?" 15[21:39] Seiri: "What?? They knew?" 15[21:39] "And all they did was... that?" [21:39] 4Piu: "And now they're offering us the boat if we can beat Ludo in a parlor game. Weird guys!" [21:40] 07Dryas: "What are they really getting out of it? Is it our boat or just more borrowed finery?" 07An odd look crosses her face for a moment. [21:42] 10Daizo nods to Seiri. "That's all they did. Maybe there's a hidden message in the album we need to find. It could be anything…" [21:45] 10Daizo: "I mean. We could try and beat some answers out of the guy. That worked pretty well for Salim." 15[21:46] Piu can tell that there's a clear divide between the riders who can win and the ones who can compete. The black, the blue, and the red are the clear best, but the blue edges it out. [21:47] 4Piu: "Well, like, anything we're gonna pick up here is borrowed finery. If we want to do it right, we get passage up to the pirate flotilla and commission a real raider for Ratel. And us." [21:47] "But that takes time and less importantly jade we don't have." [21:47] "We can defray the jade, here or there. Not so much the time." 15[21:47] Dryas, being a master rider in her own right, sees a bit deeper. Teo, the black, ridden by the jockey in the black hat, is not taxing itself anywhere near as badly as the blue or the red. An eye on the odds suggests why: a weak but valiant effort here will jack up the returns for people betting on Teo in the next race. [21:48] 07Dryas: "You're right, of course." [21:50] 07Dryas leans in to address her ward. "And you were right, too, Sadako. Bet on black, one more time." [21:51] 07Dryas will go in on black, too - just enough not to tip anyone else off who might be watching her, in turn [21:52] 07Dryas: "I think we've got a lead on some high-quality timber. We've got leads on workforces. When we get back to Abalone, we'll be looking for craftsmen. And time." [21:52] 4Piu: "I still think eventually we get the custom ship. But that black jadeclad is important, especially if we're going head to head with the Keystone in the semi-immediate future. Which is the plan once our other insane predicate pays out." [21:56] 07Dryas nods as she places a few more select bets. Should turn out well. She'll also note the rider of that black emas - or its owner. "Well, where are we with the rest of the pirate captains?" 15[21:56] Dryas is able to get bets in through intermediaries (Sadako and Tataru) to end up ahead almost a talent when Teo smokes the favorite on the last length of the next race. The jockey throws his hat in the air in triumph and then catches it neatly as it falls before cantering off on emasback. [21:56] 4Neat trick of coordination. 15[21:58] There's an interval before the next race, so the boxes are letting out. What's next on the agenda? [21:58] 4Piu and presumably Daizo will fill Dryas in fully on the deal with the Sidereals in some sort of privacy. [21:59] 4Might be time to at least see what the terms and conditions are, even if they're not ready to commit. 15[21:59] If so, Daizo knows the way to the VIP area. 08[22:00] 10Probably the only one we should actually exclude from the conversation is Tataru. Since Mockingbird's meddled, however indirectly, with Seiri, she should be in on the details. [22:02] 07If Seiri is in, Tataru is in. [22:02] 4Well alright then! 15[22:03] Seiri is visibly very alarmed at the prospect of betting your eternal souls against a demon's, but she doesn't editorialize further. Sadako asks, "It's just a box? Can't you just hit it with a hammer? You've got a hammer." 15[22:04] Tataru strokes her round little chin thoughtfully. "How much jade?" [22:06] 4In what? The jadeclad's build and armor? 15[22:06] Yeah. Like, what's the actual price tag you're putting on Daizo's (everyone's?) soul here? [22:06] 10Daizo, drily: "Smashing your opponent with a hammer is generally considered quite unsporting." [22:07] "Unless you've already agreed to a hammer duel." [22:08] 07Dryas frowns at the whole thing. "Is the demon inside the puzzle box? Termites?" [22:10] 4Piu, to Tataru: "We could probably buy a bunch more ships with the jade on the jadeclad if we dismantled it. But none of them could take a hit like a jadeclad." [22:10] "It's possessed the box. Rather like a ghost. immaterial spirits can do that sort of thing." [22:11] 07Dryas: "She means, for enough jade it might be worth the risk. But is it? What are you up against?" [22:11] 4Well no shit, Tataru. [22:11] 4Piu is nice enough not to say that out loud. [22:12] 10Daizo: "According to Virumanda, Ludo and Sigereth are the finest Gateway players to be found in Heaven, Hell, or Creation. But of course he would say that." [22:13] 4Piu: "Kinda doubt they play much Gateway in two of those places." 15[22:13] Piu'd be surprised. [22:13] 10Daizo: "You'd be surprised." [22:13] 10Argh. 15[22:14] Piu only heard one of those! [22:15] 10Daizo: "So if they're truly up at a grandmaster level, in a straight match they'd crush me. But that wouldn't be any fun—Gateway has several different handicap systems to make up differences in player skill." [22:15] "That, I suspect, is what we'll be negotiating about." 15[22:15] Seiri: "What happens to you if you lose? Do you just disappear?" [22:16] "Another very good question I intend to see answered before making a move." [22:16] 4Piu: "Again, we don't know that the trial is gonna be a straight match. For one thing, it's no 'fun' for these guys if it's just Daizo doing all the work." [22:17] "So we should probably just go find this stuff out." [22:17] 10Daizo: "I'm not interested in just throwing my life away. And if this Oyabun guy proposed it as a challenge, he must think we have a chance to win." [22:18] 10Or else he's a complete and total asshole toying with us for his own amusement, but.  15[22:18] Sadako: "Maybe he hates you and thinks you're really dumb." 15[22:18] Seiri frowns at Sadako. [22:19] "Pffhahahaha—" [22:20] 10Daizo recovers quickly. "Okay. I know I can be a bit of a stuck-up tone-deaf jerk. You don't have to remind me quite that bluntly." 15[22:21] Seiri: "Is there anything we can do to help?" [22:21] 4Piu: "It's possible he does hate us and think we're really dumb, that's true." [22:24] 10Daizo thinks a bit. "Just keep your eyes open and watch for anything suspicious. Sigereth is supposed to be unable to cheat, but I don't know if that applies to Ludo as well, or to anyone else at the Saucer." [22:26] "And the more witnesses we have to our agreement with them, the better." [22:27] "All right. Let's go find Caxi and head over to the VIP game room." [22:27] "Sound good?" [22:27] 4Piu: "Yep!" 15[22:28] Caxi practically falls out of the door as if she was waiting to be picked up. She's got her medicine bag in both hands, and she stands on tiptoe to kiss Daizo when they meet. The guards of the VIP section admit Dryas and her retinue (as that's what the bill says they are) easily. Inside it's much as Daizo recalls, with the smoke, the gentle sound of game pieces clacking, and the heavy 15[22:28] air of intense concentration. [22:30] 4Wow! Nerds! 15[22:32] They're directed to one of the even-more-exclusive private game rooms that only hold a single table. The Heaven-sent are both there - the singer and the schoolboy - playing some kind of game involving painted playing cards made of some kind of glittering foil and full of neat, tiny calligraphy. Ludo, hairless and bone white, looks on, their chin resting on a beautiful enameled box of 15[22:32] dark wood. 15[22:32] Ludo's eyes dart up first, but their expression doesn't change at all. [22:32] 4Piu: "Hello!" [22:33] 10Daizo: "I've returned to discuss our wager." 15[22:33] Then the men look up. When Caxi sees the doe-eyed schoolboy she can't suppress a snort. [22:33] "You know him, hon?" 15[22:34] Caxi: "Certainly not. Did he go wandering too far from his mother?" 15[22:35] The schoolboy: "Looks like she just walked in." 15[22:35] The singer coughs. 15[22:36] A woman's voice, warm and deep, rolls over whatever rude thing Caxi starts to say. It's not clear where it's coming from... or it wouldn't be, if you didn't already know what's going on. "Yes! Let's talk." 15[22:36] "Sit! Sit, please." 15[22:36] "All of you." 15[22:37] The wedding singer moves to clean up the game, offering the Fangs and their entourage a weak smile. 15[22:37] 09 Like a Comet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxXhxcIbG0 - Life is too short, so love the one you got. 15[22:38] "Hey, hey, don't mix up your cards and mine! I spent 200 years putting this deck together." 15[22:38] A theatrical aside to Dryas: "Kids. You know?" 15[22:38] 99 Dark Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rHRd6Cl-tQ - Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks'. [22:39] <@Ferrinus> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCwAWeXApZ8 15[22:40] The men clear it all aside and let Ludo guide the conversation. They sit up straight and speak in a measured monotone. Something about the very short, angular movements of their head in limbs remind Dryas ever so faintly of Falen. Or maybe it's just the shaved head. 15[22:41] Ludo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EeTkF-SLxE - She can be a diplomat, but I don't need a girl like that. [22:41] 4Piu: "I told you he was a little shit!" [22:43] 07Dryas offers a thin smile, herself, as she pulls from her sleeve one of the odd little white rolled tobacco... things... that seem to be ubiquitous in the golden saucer. She holds it in Piu's direction as she takes the scene in. [22:43] 10Daizo settles in, feeling like there are far more eyes on him than there are around the table.  15[22:44] Ludo: "Ladies, gentlemen: the game is Gateway. The prize? One Kimbery-grade VFP, the SPAST. The opponent?" They lift the box up. 15[22:44] The box speaks. "Mmmmmm. Hey." [22:44] 4Piu will take it, light it, and smoke it herself for a few puffs before handing it back. Ain't your lighter, Sis! 15[22:44] Sigereth, the Player of Games, Indulgent Soul of Madelrada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvKa-Ll9Ers - I'm not winning... but I'm having a *very* good time. [22:45] 4Well, not without getting a little for herself first, at least. 15[22:47] Sigereth: "You want the ship. I'm happy to give it to you, if you beat me. In return... I need pieces. I'm always short on pieces. I keep losing them. They fall and get stepped on. Someone spills something and they've got so many nooks and crannies and they just never feel right again. You know how it is." 15[22:48] "There are four of you, right? That's what I was told. So I want four pieces. It doesn't have to be the four of you. But it does have to be four of yours." [22:50] 10Daizo: "Is this the ante for coming to the table at all? Our 'pieces', are they returned to us in the event of our victory?" [22:50] 07Dryas stares in shock at the brazenness of this creature. [22:50] 4Well, you had to know something like this was coming. [22:51] 4Piu: "There will have to be at least one volunteer outside the fangs because Daizo can't very well play and be a piece at the same time." 15[22:52] Ludo: "No buy-in required. The game is self-justifying and the stakes are high enough." 15[22:52] "You lose your pieces only if you lose the game." [22:55] 10Daizo nods. "I understand. Thank you for clarifying." 10He looks around the table. "I'm not going to ask anyone here to make a spur-of-the-moment decision to risk their life for me, even in the knowledge that if I fail, I'll be going down alongside you." [22:56] 10He turns to the agents of Heaven. "How much longer will you remain docked here at the Saucer?" 15[22:58] 99: "A while yet." 15[22:58] "I don't know how long exactly, and if I did I wouldn't tell you. But you know. At least a day or two." [23:00] 07Dryas leans back in the comfortable VIP chaise and blows a ring of smoke. "It can't be worse than what we've done so far." 15[23:00] Caxi murmurs, "Four bodies is awfully steep. Jade or not, it's just a boat." 15[23:00] "It's not... you know what I mean." [23:01] 10Daizo: "Naturally." 10Back to Ludo: "So we'll set that aside for a moment… now, as to rules. Standard Realm, or a variant?" 15[23:02] Ludo: "I prefer a stripped-down variant. No items. No Falcons. Final Destination." 15[23:02] "But I'm flexible." [23:03] 10To Caxi, softly: "How many were lost when the Defiance went down? If we can wager four today and prevent another shipwreck down the line…" [23:04] 07Dryas levels her gaze at the men from Yu-Shan: "Is this because you're scared of it or because you're scared of us?" [23:04] 10Daizo: "Ah, Melee Gateway. I'm familiar." 15[23:04] 99: "It being...?" He jerks a thumb at Ludo and the box. [23:05] 07Dryas nods. 15[23:08] 99: "Nah, listen: I am objectively a higher order of being than the demon. It's written into the laws of nature that she has to obey me. You, though... you're very mysterious. I know a lot of *things* about you, but I don't know who you are, if you follow. I know you're troublemakers, but what kind of trouble? Hard to say. Very hard to say." 15[23:08] "Where I'm from, they tell us, every assignment is a test for the next one." 15[23:08] "Well this is your assignment. Should you choose to accept it." 15[23:09] "If you don't, I gotta find another lever to pull. So you're doing me a favor." 15[23:09] The box scoffs just a bit. [23:11] 4We've sort of back ourselves into this being option. So, we just have to make sure we win. By any means necessary. [23:11] 07Dryas bristles. "Maybe the Tepets pull your lever out by the roots," [23:11] 4Piu: "Oh, don't leave me out of it. But I don't think all that will be necessary!" [23:11] 10Daizo: "Kid like that? I'd have to find a pair of tweezers." [23:12] "Joke! A joke." 15[23:12] 99: "It's your party, doll. Unless it's her doll party." [23:14] 4Frankly, it'd be insulting if he didn't want us to cheat. So let's not like, start a fight over it. [23:14] 10Back to Ludo: "Melee Gateway isn't a ranked format, but when I've seen it played, handicaps are usually assigned based on the difference between the players in standard ranking. That apply here?" 15[23:15] Ludo: "Certainly. I'm prepared to spot you three additional champion pieces." 15[23:16] This would imply, by Daizo's understanding of ranked Gateway handicaps, that Ludo/Sigereth judges Daizo to be at least 15 Dan lower, or the difference between a grandmaster and like, the best guy in a patrician secondary school's Gateway club. [23:16] 10Three champions. That's… a gulf. [23:17] 07Dryas puffs away. "What's that mean?" [23:18] 4Pleasantly: "I think it means they think we suck shit and have no chance!" [23:18] 10He'll grit his teeth and bear it. "They're using one of their own hands to punch themselves in the face while I'm fighting." [23:19] "But it's a fair handicap." [23:20] "So. In the event that I lose. What happens to me, and what happens to the pieces held in trust?" 15[23:22] Sigereth: "I add the pieces to my set, of course. Like I said, I'm always looking for replacements. As for you... you'd make a fine champion unit. I like your hair. I'd enjoy watching Ludo paint you. You can take the place of one of the pieces if you so desire." 15[23:22] "But I still need four in collateral." [23:27] 10Daizo studies the pair carefully, watching for any tell, anything he's missing—or is the demon box really laying it out straight with him? [23:30] "Mhm. I bet you say that to all the guys with wings." 15[23:31] "You've got nice big shoulders too," Sigereth says. "Since this is a nonstandard game, with friendly stakes, I propose a nonstandard forfeit. Instead of immediate disqualification, I'll scuff one of your pieces at random." [23:32] 4None of this is good news! Specifically, Piu is having trouble seeing any way she can influence the outcome here. Not her skillset. [23:32] 4Well, the handicap might be good news. Maybe the box is underestimating Daizo. [23:32] 07Dryas: "It was my idea, I might as well go in for it. Piece." [23:34] 10Daizo: "Not yet. We haven't agreed to all the rules." 15[23:34] Sigereth almost purrs. "Ante or champion?" [23:36] 10Daizo: "We'll play this one by the book. Leaving a loophole for me to play some trick is leaving an even bigger one for you to set me up and destroy one of my pieces. I won't have that." 15[23:45] Sigereth: "Pick your seven and get back to me. I'll be here... maybe I can pick up one more fresh piece before the game begins..." [23:47] "Very well." 10He turns to the Fangs and their retainers. "All right. Who wants to win us a damn ship!" 15[23:50] Once they're outside the VIP area, Caxi says: "You should make me an ante piece." [23:51] 4Piu: "Well, it's good we have one volunteer for the worst job imaginable!" 15[23:51] Seiri: "I'll do it, too." 15[23:51] Sadako: "Fuck off." 15[23:52] "You just got mad at me for this exact thing!" 15[23:52] Seiri: "This is completely different." [23:52] 4Pleasantly: "Yeah! If you do this, you're not some kind of base fucking animal!" 15[23:54] Seiri looks at the floor and sucks in a breath. "You need four people from somewhere." 15[23:55] "It makes sense." [23:55] 10Daizo: "Are you doing it because you think it's the right thing to do, or are you doing it because you think it's your duty?" 15[23:55] Seiri: "I don't have to make that distinction. Only people with power do." 15[23:56] Sadako: "This whole ship is full of people. We can find someone else." 15[23:56] "What about the fat guy? What about the hat guy?" [23:57] 4Singing: "What about the sad guy? I'm the bad guy~" 15[23:57] 6Zhangyu, from the back: "Duh." [23:57] 10Deep breath. "You heard the voice in the box They have to be our people." [23:58] "We can't just conk four people over the head and drag them in." 15[23:58] Sadako: "That bitch almost shot me and Dryas and Piu turned her into our people in five minutes." 15[23:58] "You can... there are ways." [23:58] 4Piu: "...Assuming we're sure -- we're absolutely sure -- we can win, I don't think it'd be too hard to get Ratel to sign on, given the promise of the ship on the other end. [23:58] " [23:59] "Obviously the trade here, up to now unspoken, is that she actually gets to keep being Commodore rather than some figurehead." 15[00:00] Caxi, immediately: "That is an incredible risk. We can't just ante our four most valuable people. Well, our next four most valuable, after you four. Should we fetch Garnet? I'm sure she'd volunteer." [00:00] 07Dryas frowns and crosses her arms. "It's one thing to ask them to die for us out there. Or is it? Have we made a huge mistake?" 15[00:00] Sadako: "Sounds good to me. You, Ratel, Garnet, and me. That's four." [00:01] "Garnet? No. Absolutely not. Like, if I fuck up and fall here—" [00:02] "…did you just volunteer, Sadako?" 15[00:02] Sadako: "If you lose then we're fucked anyway. Who cares if we're 100% fucked or 500% fucked?" [00:02] 4Piu: "Anteing Garnet likely means revealing her nature, dummies. It's unclear whether she even CAN be turned into a creepy little Gateway piece by a demon." 15[00:03] Then, Sadako says, "...yeah, I guess I did. If sitting and waiting to die is so much more moral than fighting, why not get in on it?" 15[00:03] "Sounds like fun." [00:04] 10Daizo just looks pained. There's nothing he can say at this juncture that'll help anyone. 15[00:04] Tataru: "What kind of bonus is there for volunteering?" [00:04] 4Piu: "Now we're talking!" 15[00:05] Caxi leans past Daizo to look at the little trader and stares. "Have you been here the entire time?" 15[00:05] Tataru: "Yes, ma'am!" [00:05] 4And that's four! [00:06] 07Dryas: "What do you want?" [00:06] 07Dryas: "As a bonus, I mean." 15[00:06] Tataru: "A promotion. I don't want any other mortal in the Garden to outrank me." [00:07] 10Daizo: "Dryas insisted on bringing her in." 15[00:12] Tataru: "This is the easiest job I've ever applied for. Like being the fall girl but I don't have to memorize a story." 15[00:12] "And you're going to win anyway, so..." [00:12] 10When this is over and they're out of here on their beautiful new ship, Daizo, Piu, Seiri, and Sadako really need to get in a room and just yell it out at each other. [00:13] 4Piu: "We could do with this confidence at the top of our brand!" [00:13] "Um. Thank you for your confidence, miss." [00:13] 07Dryas: "Don't let it go to your head." 15[00:14] Sadako: "How can she stop it? It only has to go like two feet to get to her head." 15[00:14] *two fulms 15[00:14] Tataru, a little miffed: "Three and a half!" [00:16] 07Dryas: "Granted. If it works, you'll have earned it. If not," [00:16] 10Daizo: "The Dragons created all shapes and sizes of mankind for a reason, even if it may not always be obvious." 15[00:17] Tataru claps in delight. "I won't let you down! Er, I mean... you won't... let... you down." 15[00:17] Seiri pulls Sadako aside for a hushed, intense conversation. [00:19] 07Dryas eyes the two of them. Something is bugging her, and the amount it's bugging her is increasing. But she'll give them a moment. 15[00:20] Whatever Seiri says, Sadako's reply is curt. Seiri's shoulders rise and fall; she turns away and starts to walk back to the suites. [00:21] 10Dammit, kids. [00:21] 4Piu supports young love -- she literally helped get these two together -- but it would be nice if not every single turn of their fortunes somehow, some way, devolved into a relationship fight between them. As much if not more for their sake than ours. [00:22] 10Daizo: "Hold it. This is my game and my ante. And Seiri volunteered first." 15[00:22] It's been a rough few days. They didn't used to be like this. 15[00:23] Sadako looks at Dryas. "Oh, come on." 15[00:23] Seiri stops. [00:23] "It's your choice, Seiri. Do you want to give up your spot for her?" [00:23] 4We can probably just get one of the twins. [00:23] 4Just saying. [00:23] 10Nah. This is important. [00:23] 4Doesn't need to be all the Patrician's Dilemma. [00:24] 07Dryas sighs. "Sadako. Caxi and I are responsible for you. You're capable, you've learned a lot. But this... I don't know." [00:26] 10She needs this. She needs something, even if it's only standing in a place to protect someone else.  15[00:28] Sadako: "It's not even a real job! I'm just sitting there!" 15[00:28] Caxi: "Yes, well, you're good for other things." 15[00:29] Seiri ignores both of them. "I'm in. Where do you need me?" [00:30] 07Dryas: "As is Seiri. But really, neither of you have to do this, at all. What are you two trying to prove? That we need you? That you can contribute? That you're brave? That you really have nothing to lose?" [00:30] "Meet us back in the VIP room in three hours." 15[00:33] Seiri: "Lady Dryas, Lady Caxi is right. It doesn't matter who it is in the ante. The game stays the same. So why lock someone down who can help in another way? That's just giving material away. It's bad Gateway." 15[00:33] "I think that choosing someone else would be unduly sentimental." [00:33] 4Oh for fuck's sake. 15[00:34] Sadako rolls at least one of her eyes. 15[00:34] Caxi: "Why don't we just go get the princess?" 15[00:34] "Leave the divas alone." [00:37] 10Daizo: "Why am I not replacing you, Caxi? Gods alone know how important you are to the mission… to me." [00:37] 14Piu: "I think it's healthy to prove to martyrs that there's ways for them to live. That's the only reason I'm endorsing this sort of behavior." 15[00:37] Caxi: "Because I can cheat." 15[00:37] "I didn't volunteer for fun." 15[00:38] "I don't even care about Ratel's stupid dream boat. But I pledged to support you. I can do it this way." [00:40] 10Daizo: "…I already wrote off cheating as a possibility when you told me about Sigereth's right of forfeit." 15[00:41] Caxi: "A forfeit she deliberately softened! From instant loss to a random rebuke. She's practically gagging for it." [00:42] 4Piu: "To be honest, you probably should have taken her up on that." [00:42] 10Daizo: "It's an obvious trap. Sigereth can't win by cheating. But she can accomplish other objectives by cheating." [00:43] 4Piu: "Sounds like overthinking it!" [00:43] "I hope you're right." [00:46] 07Dryas has been scowling all along. "Nothing about this is fair, or right. Why would the emissaries of the gods themselves expect us to cavort with demons to prove ourselves? It's preposterous. But it's also a chance, Seiri, for you to put it on the line as much as anyone." [00:46] 10Daizo: "Well. I want to play this as fairly as I can for as long as I can. I want to believe that that punk kid thinks we're capable of it." 15[00:47] Caxi: "I did have a thought about that." 15[00:48] "If it is a trap, we want everyone who isn't on Sigereth on Garnet. Because there's no other reason to bait her and switch us." [00:48] 07Dryas nods. "Logical." [00:49] 10Daizo: "There you have it, then. Sadako, do you want to find out if you're up to taking on one of the Chosen of Heaven if they try to snatch Garnet?" [00:49] "Seiri, Caxi, Ratel, Tataru. That's my ante. Piu, Dryas, you and Cousin Zhangyu will be my champions if you'll have me." [00:50] 4Piu rolls her eyes. "'If we'll have you.' Fuck off bro. Of course." 15[00:53] This seems to satisfy — or at least silence — everyone. Too bad that was the easy part. 15[00:53] NEXT TIME: The Whole Board -------------- [09:57] 10The modern Gateway set uses identical pieces for both players. Historically, until the time of the Cleansing, each side's pieces had distinct identities, although in game terms, of course, the sides were evenly matched. So when Daizo finds his way to the table some time later, he selects the Sovereign piece for himself, and assigns each of the Fangs (or their duly appointed representatives) as the Orichalcom, Moonsilver, and [09:57] 10 Starmetal Generals, titans on the field compared to the jade ranks. Arrayed against them? The Usurped King, and a variety of pieces in brass, basalt, vitriol, and blood.