knifemonopoly | IC inbox

[Ryou could have gone either way, to grant a wish or play some more. This...is something he's missed.

Being able to forget everything around you except the person on the other side of the table and trying to pull a victory out of a situation based entirely in chance...that's exactly what Ryou likes. True, his situations are much more convoluted than five dice in an upturned cup, but there was a reason why he didn't always DM games--sometimes you wanted to play the person on the other side of the rules, and see if you could make them bend to your will. It takes more than a little luck.

Much like this situation.

He laughs, thoroughly amused all the same, and nods in affirmation. Yes. They're going to go again. And this time, Ryou's going to work harder to stay completely passive. Atem won't read this face.

Maybe he can win. He was just a single move away from it before.]

H-heh, alright. Back to the game then.

[He scoops his dice into his cup, covers the top, and gives them a shake.]

I'll be trying my hardest to win, you know.

[The subtext, he thinks, is obvious enough.

Stay sharp. Your trust will not be rewarded.]

[He mirrors the movement, nearly at the same time. There'd be a little split-screen effect here.]

Of course.

[Once they've closed their eyes for each other, all bets are off, and the game's on. No favors, no holding back, because to do anything else would show a lack of respect.

The cup gets turned over onto the table, and Atem shuts his eyes.]

You can look and call first, this time.

[Down smacks the cup. When given his opportunity, Ryou does take a quick glance under it. Hm. Well, that sure is a roll. He's pretty sure he can work with it! Nodding to himself, he settles the cup back down.

While Atem's still got his eyes closed, Ryou can't resist a quick little kiss to his cheek. Then he murmurs his bet into Atem's ear.]

Two threes.

Your turn.

[Ryou's enjoying this quite a lot, and even after he straightens and closes his own eyes so that Atem can check his roll, the excitement is more than visible in the way his pointed ears wiggle in excitement.]

Edited 2021-09-14 04:24 (UTC)

[He doesn't open his eyes when his cheek gets kissed -- that's fine, that's sweet -- but they do open when Ryou decides to murmur his bet into Atem's ear. He startles -- not much, but that's something else he wasn't expecting! He was fully into the swing of game, but that brings a dull, dead-blood flush to the skin under his eyes, across his cheeks.

Is that how Ryou's going to play? No mercy at all? Atem would have kept it professional, thank you, but now that's out, so he checks his own dice -- huh -- and puts a hand on Ryou's knee as he twists around to do it right back, the cadence of the announcement a smidge slower than Ryou's had been.]

Two fours.

[He's being very familiar.]

[Whoa, now. Hey...!! Ryou didn't intend for his little play to be taken so seriously, but it seems Atem's raising a different sort of bet along with the dice. The shade's eyes fly open and immediately he flushes darkly.

What...what did he say? Two...fours? Ha. Okay. Alright that's fair.

Ugh, what the hell did Ryou roll? He has to think about it for a second, and in the meantime he looks as if he's bitten off more than he can chew. Hard to keep up a poker face when you're flustered. After a long moment, he seems to compose himself, though there's a darker shade of gray still lingering at his cheeks.]

F-Four fours.

[Should he...do something else? The game is important...to both of them. He wants to win!

...Just as much as he wants to lean against Atem.]

[Oh, no. They might have to mulligan this round, Atem thinks, a grin creeping at his mouth -- it's already gone a little sideways, and he promised he'd show no mercy.

So, Atem leans over again, and plants a kiss on Ryou's cheek, warm and affectionate.]

Too bold. I call it a lie.

[Oh.

He'd blown it, hadn't he? Now the flush is back in full force, and it's not just from the kiss. He had wanted to be serious here, to win the game...and yet he'd miscalculated and probably thrown it all away just over a touch and a soft whisper.

It's embarrassing. He's the worst gamer, clearly.

He lifts his cup, revealing his roll; 4-4-3-4-5.

If Atem was bluffing at all on those fours, and didn't have one...then Ryou lost. Well-deserved, probably.]

I-I'm sorry, i wasn't trying to cheat.

[Atem doesn't seem bothered. He's laughing a little, as he pulls his own cup away -- an unlikely and unusual roll. He had opened with a damn dirty lie.]

I meant to work my way up, to save the truth for the end...but we both got distracted. Sorry I tricked you!

[Ah, Ryou's embarrassed now...Atem went for the throat, but did he go too hard?]

If you like, we can do that one over, since I didn't hold myself back, either.

[He gently bumps Ryou's elbow with his own. He's just as guilty of "cheating," if "a complete inability to behave himself" is cheating.]

N-no! No, you can't just...throw it away because I made a mistake...

[Ryou seems adamant about it. Maybe he'd screwed up, and maybe he was a bad gamer, but not bad enough to pretend it didn't count. Even on his birthday!]

You won, I made a mistake. If I didn't want you to do that, then I shouldn't have gotten cheeky in the first place, right? So...you win. I won't accept anything else.

We can try again. I'm going to win! I promise you that!

[He drops his dice in the cup again. Losing only makes him more determined, and you can bet he's not going to do any dumb moves this time. This is serious business. He has to prove to Atem that he can be an objective gamer, someone who can win fairly!]

[...all right, he can respect that. Getting cheeky is tempting, but...Ryou's pride is on the line. So, Atem nods! He picks up his own game pieces.]

Again, then. I'll go first.

[Shake the dice up, put' em on the table, wait for Ryou's eyes to go dark...]

Two twos.

[From a respectful distance.]

[Ryou is glad that Atem's going along with it. Once he's rolled his own set and complied with the rules to allow Atem to see his roll...he then opens his eyes, waits for Atem's to close...and peers under his cup.

There's a look of determination on his face as he speaks. He's going to do this right, and if he's lucky, he'll come away the winner, which is more than most people can say.]

One three.

[Perhaps a strange move, to raise the face but lower the posited number of dice. But it is a valid move. Either a very sassy move, or a very safe one. Atem can be the judge there.]

[It's true. If it's a lie, it's impossible to tell this early. A guess like that on his first turn doesn't tell Atem much...the skeptical, considering look on his face says as much.

The challenging look is back, too. Even if the last round was a bit of a disaster, Atem still won't go easy on him.

This bet might very easily be a lie; the same trick Atem just tried.]

Two threes.

[There's a give and take to this. This round is more like the first one, where they're feeling each other out...paced slower, neither one of them getting flustered and jumping the gun. It's...it's a little bit like making out, actually, he's realizing, now that he's done both...]

Edited 2021-09-14 12:14 (UTC)

[The gaze he gets doesn't fluster Ryou, not this time. He's very serious about this. If he loses now...at the very least he'll have redeemed himself in some way.

It probably shouldn't matter this much to him, but it does. As a result...he makes a strange play once again.]

One five.

[He stares at Atem, gauging his response. Ryou doesn't quite trust the two threes, but without more information, he can't play so loosely. The way they're playing, it's already dangerous. No one knows what plays are real. Just what plays are plausible.]

[The bet's going to go up sooner or later...Ryou's giving away almost nothing...so, Atem makes a bolder move.]

Three fives.

[Ryou frowns. Three fives...does he trust it? He's not sure if he wants to repeat his mistakes from earlier, given his roll, so he goes with his instinct.]

That's a lie.

[He's calling you out, Atem. And he removes his cup to show what's probably the most amusing roll ever. It's identical. The odds of such are depressingly low, but here we are...

And Ryou actually does look like he's feeling some kind of way about it. Is this Puzzle shenanigans? Did magic decide that his roll shouldn't change, just the way the dice fell? He'd shaken the cup, what gives?!]

Heh!

[He sweeps his own cup out of the way. His guess about the five paid off. He winks.]

No -- you were hard to read, but I banked on you being honest!

[But, he's not gloating about it. Yugi was always very good at winning gracefully; he was always so happy to be playing that it was impossible to be mad. Atem maybe gets where that comes from, now.]

What a curious roll, though...

[Ryou actually groans, not because he's mad at Atem, he's just frustrated now that he's seen the dice that he hadn't bid four fours like he should have! It doesn't cross his mind that he couldn't have known, it just bothers him that he's got a total lack of luck.]

A curious roll? It was the same roll...

[He huffs, staring at the dice mutinously.]

This is what I deserve, I suppose. [No it isn't, Ryou.] I'm glad to know that I'm a hard read, but you're just as skilled. Ah, well. At least I know you're not going easy on me.

[Since they're between rounds, Ryou isn't shy about actually leaning on Atem, lightly since he knows he's the bigger of the two again, but just so that he can derive some comfort. He's not a sore loser, he's just pouting a little!]

[It's true. He isn't. Atem doesn't go easy on people he likes: he just plays fair, and doesn't use all the weapons he'd use on someone he didn't like to secure the victory. With an enemy, they can think he's a creep and a jerk all they like, but when he plays with friends, it's different! Friends are alive and uninjured at the end of the game, and he wants to keep the relationship, and not hurt their feelings.

Atem's leaned on, and one arm snakes behind Ryou, around his waist.]

We could take a break, if you wanted.

[If Ryou's tired, or discouraged, or just wants to collect himself before starting again.]

A little break wouldn't be terrible. It's not that I don't enjoy it. But...I at least thought that of anything we might play, the dice might be a little more on my side. I suppose these aren't my dice, so they're not used to me yet.

[What a strange thing to say! But...Ryou misses his things from home. Sometimes, not being surrounded by his belongings, the things that make up the sum parts of his personality? It's kind of demoralizing. These dice are not his dice yet. He has dice of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Here, he'd been lucky to find a single pair of D10s.

He feels as if his luck would be better if he was using one of his sets. The ones he played with all the time when he was running campaigns, or joining in on one someone else had made. And then...the ones that he'd seen in the dream world, that Yugi had given him? Those were so cool, he wanted that set!

His ears lower slightly and he relaxes a little more against Atem. He shouldn't be thinking complicated things like this. He's supposed to be having fun, right? And it is fun. Right up until he feels a twinge of homesickness, but he doesn't want to linger on it.]

At any rate...we can't do this all day, can we? H-heh heh. I think a few more rounds--not too many if you keep winning, or I'll owe you my soul's weight in wishes, of course.

[Not that he minds that. He'd happily do anything for Atem!

Since they're not playing the game right at the moment, he shifts a bit, not dislodging Atem's arm but still enough that he can comfortably set his hand on one of Atem's knees. Such a simple form of contact...it's plenty for him.]

But then...maybe we can move on.

[They're both superstitious gamers. Hard not to be, when in a shadow game, the playing pieces reflect your heart and will behave accordingly! Magic's real, bitch.]

Okay. I'm sure your luck will turn around! You've just got to get the dice warmed up.

[As he talks, he reaches for Ryou's hand. He takes it idly -- not to move it, just to turn it over, run his own fingers over it. It's nothing weird, just affectionate and familiar.]

They're new, so it might take them some time to respond...but they definitely will. I'll play with you as long as you like!

[And won't take Ryou's soul's weight in wishes, he promises! The score's 3-0, an early lead but not an impossible one to come back from!]

[When Atem turns over his hand and traces across it, Ryou really, really wishes that he didn't have bandages on. He wants to feel Atem's touch more closely, especially since the burns there aren't half as sensitive anymore as they had been at first.

Is it so selfish to want to hold the hand of someone you cherish?]

As long as I like, hm? I really can't tell you how nice it is to have all of your time to myself right now. You certainly have a way of making me feel important.

[Oh no. Oh no he's starting to feel all soft and warm and affectionate. He's such a dumb romantic who definitely can't help kissing Atem's cheek. Dice. They gotta get back to dice...but...]

You are important.

[It's said like you'd say "the sky's blue," or "there's 8 floors in the 38-8." His other hand slides out from behind Ryou and joins the first one! It's going to be a little hard to play dice while holding hands, so he'll have to let go in a minute, but that's fine.

Nothing's going to last forever. Eventually, he'll either disappear from Ryslig, or Kaiba will make it back, or he and Yugi will find their way out of the game...and, before long, he'll move on. He's very serious about amassing as many good memories as he possibly can, before things change.]

Oh, stop.

[Ryou shakes his head, but he's still happy, and his protests are absolutely toothless. Atem just embarrasses him when he says that, because Ryou has spent an awful lot of time feeling unimportant. Here too, he was so used to fading into the environment, and yeah, he had some acquaintances before Atem showed up...but he feels even now that if Atem had never ended up in Ryslig, then he would have remained a ghost on the fringes of civilization.]

You're the one that's most important. Without you, I would have become someone very different here. Maybe not completely a monster. But not me either. You make everything so much better, just by existing.

[The way he looks at Atem, it's with such a determined sincerity. He means what he says. And he'll say it as much as he can, because holding all of his affection inside is practically impossible at this point. Atem had pulled that stopper out when he'd asked Ryou out in the dollhouse. There was no replacing it, no shutting him up ever again.]

Ah...but I suppose we should get back to things, yes? I've still got a game to win.

[Said with only the slightest of confidence, but he's trying!]

Ah...

[Now it's his turn to feel a little...man he can't even pinpoint what it is. Is it embarrassment? It feels a little bit in that neighborhood -- warm, not quite sitting comfortably in his heart -- and it's definitely brought on by you make everything so much better, just by existing.

He's been thinking a bit, lately, about his own existence, and his place in the world, and whether or not he has one. Being told directly that people want him around -- not just him-and-Yugi, but him as an individual -- hits him in a place where he's tender. Tender like a kiss, or tender like a bruise -- he can't tell.

But then Ryou has mercy on him and taks about the game. That's much easier! Atem picks his dice cup up, all his uncertainty from a moment ago gone. With a wink:]

I invite you to try!

[He shakes the cup up. Ready? he asks wordlessly.]

[Ryou looks at Atem curiously. He's not sure if his words came off right or not, and there's a prickle of concern at the back of his mind...but it's not something he wants to pressure Atem on. So, he too takes his cup in hand, giving it a shake.

He smiles at Atem, giving a brief nod. Very much ready.

A few seconds later, after a few good rattles, his cup clicks on the table, upturned. Please be a good roll...ugh, he doesn't even want to look...]

You first this time. Good luck.

[He closes his eyes and hopes that he has good luck too, because lord knows Atem has all the luck already.]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PLAYER1. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 10.11.0.0.01 * PLAYER1 has joined 10.11.0.0.01 <PLAYER1>** If you're looking for someone you knew as Yugi before June, you've found him! It's Atem, leave a message.

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