Dancing with the Red bear: Persona in the Playground (Social Link)

[Morbis Meh]

It didn't take long for Levi to move most of his belongings, he generally travelled light since he was forced to live a semi nomadic lifestyle on the account of his father's profession. The one item, his piano, that would be difficult to move didn't have to be moved so a single suit case filled with clothing was all he needed; however, he did own a smaller carry on case that was filled with vodka in the form of water bottles. He remembered the request from the new girl but decided to do that later in the day. Right now he had some preliminary recon to do of the new buildingand the room he selected was empty at them moment but he only through his luggage on the bed. He thought that there was an equal probability that members of either gender could move into the room since his suitcase was fairly unisex. Personally he didn't care who his room mates where but he hoped that a few of the ladies would accidently move into the room he selected just so he could have a little fun with the ensuing drama.

As he exited the building, the massive Russian noted someone else approaching, the boy who wanted to be a general. Levi grinned, remembering their previous conversation, he had hoped to have another opportunity to push this one's buttons. Though he had to be subtle about it, last time the boy got a little too riled up and Levi would hate to have to complicate matters so soon. Making sure to engage eye contact, Levi grinned towards Soga "Comrade Soga, so good to see you again, I figured you would be the next person to move in. Want to be generals tend to be a touch more organized that most but enough of that, I am in a good mood today. How about a friendly game after you're settled in? It won't be anything too serious, maybe a bit of chess?"

[Xhosant]

Soga was pleasantly surprised by the offer, coming so suddenly and amid his confusion of navigating the new dorm building.

"If it ain't Levi, our brilliant, calculating general!" he replied jokingly, with a slight twist of the word. He considered the offer for a second, more in mock contemplation than actual conciderance.

"Chess, that sounds so like you. Sure, I'll take you on. I've played a game or 3. But on one condition." he added and paused for a second, dramatically. "Our next game after that will be my choice. Don't worry, i have something interesting in mind!"

[Morbis Meh]

Levi chuckled as he shook his head "I would almost take that as compliment but I'm no general nor have I ever wanted to be. Bring at the top is never a good thing I find it too rigid and opponents already know who you are. I prefer being in third or fourth in command, it grants most power while allowing more flexibility. It also makes you much more invisible to enemy, an advantage worth its weight in gold." His smile fades as he calculates the counter offer "Very well if you insist but remember I have other appointments to keep, let me grab my board while you think of a place to play."

Levi saunters back to his room and quickly digs out his ornate chess board from his suitcase along with a large 'water bottle' from the carry on. Taking a couple of plastic glasses he returns to the awaiting Soga "Lead on oh great leader."

[Xhosant]

"Fear not, I wouldn't keep you from your other battles.", Soga chuckles. "And you're right on the ranks bit. You wield so much power, but it's so difficult to use that a blade in hand might just as well outdo it sometimes."

Soga paused for a moment to think of a good place. Luckily, he'd passed some rooms in the building while looking for the dorms. "How's a small emptied library sound like to you? Cause I think there is one just around the corner."

[Morbis Meh]

Levi shrugs "Suits our purpose just fine, nothing ruins a game of chess quicker than unwanted spectators."

Levi follows behind Soga into the vacant room before finding a passable surface to set up the board. Carefully he removes the hand carved pieces out from the interior of the box before placing them in their proper locations. The board is simple oak kept in good condition buffed to a fine polish. Pulling out the water he pulls out the glasses he pours a measured amount out for each and places one in front of Soga "I will let you choose, white or black since I coerced you into the game." He causually drinks the strong spirit from the glass, not betraying its contents to his opponent.

[Xhosant]

"That you did. It's only fair you get the first move as well. Whites are yours." answered Soga.

He took a sit across the Russian, admiring for a second the chessboard's craftsmanship. He thought of the Bishop and how it somehow reminded him of his opponent, then placed it in position along with the rest of the pieces. He didn't yet touch the (rather sneaky) offering of his opponent, but instead tried to remember what little he knew of chess. After a second, he looked at Levi and muttered "Game on"

((How'd you wanna resolve this? Soga's definitely going down, but we could have the drink start the decline. He's not quite the heavy drinker :P))

[Morbis Meh]

((Personally I would like to have the game play out much like their ideals work. Soga cautious and more inclined to protect his pieces while Levi constantly leaving his ripe for the taking as he subtly moves in for the kill, I myself wouldn't be able to do it but hey we're roleplaying ))

Levi nods and calmly moves his first piece before taking another drink from the glass "No need to look so serious Comrade Soga, this friendly game, a chance for potential leaders to get to know one another. Understand I by no means seek to change your opinion just hope to make peace between us for good of group. I think we both can agree that fighting among ourselves will only be to enemy's advantage." He leaned back in his chair with a dreamy smile on his face, swirling the contents of the glass around lazily.

[Xhosant]

((Ideal (). I suppose we play our moves vague, then. Alright!))

"I'm no leader. You said it yourself, it restrains you more than it should."

He moved a knight over his lines, turning him inwards.

"I'd just like to see everyone be the best they can get. It's more fun that way."

[Morbis Meh]

Levi quickly moves a bishop and takes another drink "Keep talking the way you do and you'll end up as one whether you like it or not, you do not get to choose who people want to follow. Also if everyone on both sides were at best there would be more bloodshed and death. I prefer crippling enemy before they can strike."

He sets the cup down and eye's Soga's glass "If you're not going to drink that then pass it back, Russian vodka hard to come by and I would prefer not waste it. If you not take hospitality that fine but please let me know one way or other."

[Xhosant]

((Oh, come on, I wanted to take a large chug in my innocence and let the game go south from there ))

"Vodka?!", asked Soga, surprised. "Thought that was water! I'm sorry, I'm no strong enough a glass to appreciate it as you would."

Soga pondered the question for a moment, then grabbed his glass. "Oh, what the hell, let's take a taste." he said as he took a small, burning sip, more or less regretting his decision immediately. With a slightly distorted expression, he moved a pawn 2 spaces ahead, as he began to feel his head a tad light.

[Morbis Meh]

Levi calmly assesses the board and moves a pawn two spaces "If not used to russian vodka don't take small sip and don't chug take normal drink." He picks up the glass and demonstrates for Soga "That way you get to taste before it burns and it doesn't go stright to head, I only pour you small glass since I have no desire to carry you to your room or have to watch you so you don't choke on vomit. Your move."

[Xhosant]

"Fair enough, but I'd rather, uh... pace myself. Maybe I'll try a little more later."

Looking at the board, Soga moves the bishop 3 squares, through the pawn's gap.

[Morbis Meh]

((lol how about we just igore saying moves otherwise this is just going to get nonsensical real quick unless I bust out a chess board but then we'd be playing chess and I would get my butt handed to me.... We can just say move the piece and when we agree to end the chess game we can do so?))

The big russian shrugs "Suit yourself comrade, I am only being polite, once you get used to it vodka is quite nice on occassion. If you develope a taste let me know, I can pull some strings and get you some for a reasonable cost. I won't even charge you for doing it, just base cost." Levi moves another piece and sets down his glass "So tell me about yourself, I know you find my views unsavory and possibly my motives but maybe we can come to an understanding if we know more about each other?"

[Xhosant]

((I was leading up to castling the king, just cause it's funny and seems fitting, but yes, we'll go abstract :P

I'm really no good myself, once lost by Napoleon (3-move-checkmate) ))

Soga slid the king across the pass he'd made, rotating the tower. He liked that move, allowed him to focus on his other pieces instead of defending his king. Now the game could begin.

"Well, not much to say I guess. I'm the curious type, can't devote to nothing since I wanna poke at everything, and the most interesting thing I've been through is this whole deal." Pausing in thought for a moment, he adds "Then again, that last bit doesn't say much, all things considered, does it?"

[Morbis Meh]

((My style of chess is kamikaze lol take out as many pieces from the board as possible to eliminate complexity and do my damn best to stalemate afterwards lol))

"Not really, when I brought up the topic I was more refering to life before your persona. I think we both can agree life began much more interesting afterward." He moved another piece and took another drink of vodka "I will give example to clarify. I am only son of prominent russian physist, the only reason I exist at all is my father got rather drunk one night at some academic function and got hired pianst pregnant. He got vasectomy soon after and only married my mother on principal... she died when I was young. After that I was shipped out all over, taught under the best tutors and forced to live up to my father's expectations. It pissed him off when I joined military after my persona awakened."

[Xhosant]

Soga couldn't help but flinch to the description. "He seems like a pleasant guy," he replies with a bitter voice, "I take it your relationship isn't too close?"

Leaving a sigh, he continues. "All one could say is, what's done is done. This must have made you an independent person, ironically. You won't be beholden to him for long. Besides, as things turned out, he'd had a hard time imagining the kind, let alone amount, of power you've gained. You've more or less surpassed him."

"I, on the other hand, never knew my father. And it didn't bug me either. Life was simpler that way, I guess. Then again, that's what I always hated about my life: it's too simple."

[Morbis Meh]

Levi chuckles "Let me put it like this, his idol is Isaac Newton and not for his mind or his work but for his decision not to pass on his genes because there was no one worthy of it. Depends how you define close, emotionally: nonexistant; physically: we have been in fist fights on numourous occasions." He leans back with an bitter smile "Legally I am most definitely not beholden to him but you do not understand Russian politics, my father is very high up on the ladder. As long as I remain Russian citizen he will have a decent measure of influence over me. The power of persona is effectively useless in aiding, it is indeed power but it is an intageable ability that doesn't overly affect life on this side. Though that may or may not change depending on certain top secret experiments... but that is all I will say." Levi chuckles as an evil grin forms on his face "Be careful what you wish for, if you really want a complex life I will take you on a bender that will result in you getting to different women pregnate. That should take care of it... or we could just settle for you sleeping with two women who hate each other."

[Xhosant]

"Legally I am most definitely not beholden to him but you do not understand Russian politics, my father is very high up on the ladder. As long as I remain Russian citizen he will have a decent measure of influence over me. The power of persona is effectively useless in aiding, it is indeed power but it is an intageable ability that doesn't overly affect life on this side. Though that may or may not change depending on certain top secret experiments... but that is all I will say."

Soga doesn't look up from the board. "Key word, politics. This is an indirect power over you. He's like the player of this board, only we pawns may bite. And there's only that many pawns he can control, that we'll have to be concerned about."

"And don't think you're done talking about that last bit just yet." he adds, although he doesn't press further, distracted as he is by the chessboard.

On the second part, however, Soga lifts his eyes in surprise. "Think I'll pass, we both know full well that's not the simple I mean. It feels pointless, like all that ever happens is time passing by. Of course, I can hope this will change, right?"

[Morbis Meh]

Levi laughs "So all of a sudden you are authority on Russian politics believe me when I say that you know nothing about subject so please refrain from commenting on a topic you are ignorant of." Levi smiles darkly inside his head before wagging a finger back and forth while tsking "Foreign government secrets are not for your ears, believe me unless you want a really bad complication added to your life. Though Russian Secret Services would have a hayday torturing someone like you but I digress that topic is indeed over and if you wish to learn more feel free to become a Russian citizen and join the army.'

Casually moving another piece, Levi rests his chin in the palm of his hand "Change isn't something that just happens comrade, change is something one must initiate for themself. If you feel it is pointless then it is you who must change perspective not situation. Complaining about it just shows your own rigidness and weakness but your problems are none of my business. If you cannot find extraordinary in the ordinary then you will miss a lot in life. Take this game for example, I can tell you don't play often and that you're bored by it. Indeed at face value game is simple but if one looks deeper you would be completely wrong. This not a game of pieces, this is a game of playing your opponent reading them means reading their moves."

[Xhosant]

Soga focuses back on the game, now intent to promote his pawns.

"That is what I mean. I know not about rushian politics, and politics in general, and sometimes I try not to mind them either. Perhaps, leaving their influence would spare you his, as well?"

He only smiled in response to the Russian's refusal. He could tell a person as curious as him when he saw them, and this one seemed to have a thing for bartering. "Eventually,", he thought, "I'll have you just the counter-offer."

His comment on change, however, pushed him into laughter. "We're not exactly ones to believe that, are we? Unless you chose your Persona's awakening, which would be rather interesting, change and the extraordinary grabbed us by the feet before we knew it. As for the game,", he adds, "it's engaging and complex, but it is simplistic. It's a strategist's fantasy, troops marching at your command rather than their stomach or spirit, with no nasty surprises ever present. Take this one, for example:" he says pointing at an overextended enemy pawn. "What troops would march among their enemies like that, and not change their allegiance or desert once surrounded?"

Moving a rook to the pawn's square, he answers his own question. "Inspired troops. But you never had to inspire them, did you?". Distracted by the chat, he doesn't notice he doomed his piece, as Levi had probably planned.

((And there's your ideal-like tactics :D If Levi wouldn't bait him with a pawn, I'll just edit it, so no worries ))

[Morbis Meh]

Levi rolls his eyes "Spoken like a child, just because you choose to bury your head in sand to hide away from world doesn't mean world disappears. Naivety is one thing but ignorance is a choice and those who choose it derserve whatever comes to them."

Levi yawns and sips his drink as he uses his bishop to remove the rook from the board "Or kind of troop that simply follows orders and is not told what to expect because they are seen as an acceptable loss. Great people are ones who focus on the big picture, victors write history and those who do what they must to succeed are always victors."\

A sly smile crosses his lips "Ah but if a persona user didn't take initiative to discover and strengthen their power it would remain weak and would be soon forgotten. Instead of believing yourself mentally unsound you found your way here, you saw extraordinary beyond ordinary and acted on it. I hope you're better at next game, you have exactly 3 turns left to finish your drink before we're through."

[Xhosant]

"The world won't disappear, but if your biggest problem is photosensitivity it's a valid tactic. The question is, is it?"

Soga flinches as he loses his piece. Regardless, he continues. "You see them as that, and that's your job. But it's the inspiration's job to make them see themselves as that."

To Levi's threat, Soga raises an eyebrow. "Is that so? What's in it for me if I make it to the 4th?" he asks as he moves a pawn to the last row, getting himself a new queen. "Oh, look, someone's potential awakened.", he adds jokingly.

((Ok, how's that: on the 3d turn, I roll a DC18 to hold the match to the 4th, sounds interesting? ))

[Morbis Meh]

((Out of interest sake have there been more turns going on than we've let on? If so then you can have your queen otherwise based on your other moves a pawn wouldn't have moved across the board As for the DC 18, you can do so but I was planning on Levi doing it in 2 turns, commenting on the remaining turns was only to rile Soga up ))

Levi chuckled moving removing the rook next to the king "You get more time to finish your drink, check by the way, a queen won't do you any good when the leader is threatened."

The Russian finishes his drink "No a valid tactic is making a compromise, going from one extreme to other is short sighted and only fixes only one problem while creating many. I find this conversation oddly one sided, maybe you should begin to discuss yourself a little more rather than avoid it with metaphors. I can imagine it would be hard to stay motivated with a single mother in a very patriarchial society.

[Xhosant]

((I guess, after all picking through a towering needs a certain amount of space :D Roll your check versus DC16 and you're done in the next round, how's that?))

Doing the only thing he can, Soga counterattacks with his king, knowing full well how close the match's end is.

"But a king without a queen is nearly powerless, and just imagine what a ruling queen would mean. We are to grow into the queens, and perhaps, eventually, we won't need a king to rule us, right?"

"But all that's getting awfully vague. What you need to know about me, is that I want power. Not the sort of phony power people wield today, like influence and riches. No, this is great power, but when all that stands between two men is a blade, whoever holds the blade holds all the power. And that's what I'm after. That's what I'd like everyone to have."

"Like I told you, my father practically never existed, even on the emotional side. If that's why every day after day was the same, if a father would have changed that, I cannot tell. As far as I know, I was never motivated because nothing could interest me above all else."

Soga smirked. "So you got that right, at least. Motivation's not my strong card. But we got something to devote ourselves to now, right? Your move, by the way."

((Well damn, Levi's radiates power-hunger strongly enough to get Soga going, too Seems fitting, considering how different their definition of power is. ))

[Morbis Meh]

Levi moved his piece quickly while sighing "You talk a lot without saying anything did you know that? You speak without experience only half baked ideals that will amount to nothing, not everyone wants power and some do not deserve it. I wasn't speaking of your father but of your mother your constant mumbling about subject would lead me to believe you have daddy issues. You really want to know what power is, knowledge is power; knowledge over your enemies, knowledge of your surroundings, anything you can learn learn. A sword in hands of fool is only a liability."

Spoiler

Show

(1d20)[8] so this will determine if Levi's next move is last move

[Xhosant]

"My bad then, it was my mother you wanted to know about. She is a good person, ever caring and ever present. Sometimes smotheringly so. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against her, but life without her holds its merits all the same."

Soga makes a swift move of his newly-acquired queen, almost underhandedly.

"I speak with what I have, it's all one can ever do. If someone wants no power, he needn't use it. If they don't deserve it, it won't do them much good. And if a blade in fool's hands is dangerous, knowledge in a hermit's mind is pointless. How do you plan to use that power, as an oddity, a puppet's strings, or as a blade? That's what it boils down to."

[Morbis Meh]

Levin quickly moves his piece eliminating the queen and putting the king under threat again "That's good, I would be more grateful for what you have, one never appreciates someone until they're gone. Knowledge of any kind is never pointless and those who would scorn those who choose to live a peaceful scholarly life obviously will never understand its advantages." Levi checks his watch "You have one move left, please try and amuse me."

[Xhosant]

"You misunderstood once more. A hermit's just the only kind of person I could think of that won't share or use their knowledge in any way. A stored-up knowledge, in effect, locked in a warehouse and like anything else, practically not existing. That's the kind of hermit I had in mind. Not a sage, not a scribe, just a lone person."

Taking a hard look on the board, Soga notices an out-of-place piece of his own, obstructed by a knight in its movement. It was a long shot, but moving that knight just might get the 2 at a good position, buy him that 4th round.

(( (1d20)[9] ))

[Morbis Meh]

Levi quickly moves his last piece "Well then that person has chosen to put their head in sand and refuses to see beyond ordinary. It has nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with the person's weakness and inability to deal with their fears."

Levi stands up an places the cup and bottle back in the bag "Oh it's checkmate if you didn't realize it, we play your game on another day but right now I have other appointment. Please be discrete when you dispose of the rest of vodka, either drink or dump it when no one is looking. Have a good day." With a smirk he begins walking away.

[Xhosant]

Soga stared at the board, knowing it was over. if he'd made a better last move, he'd have bought a little time more.

He gets up, thinking of what he had in store for Levi. He's so not going to like that. he thought to himself while absentmindedly taking a good chug from is glass, only to remember what was in it.