|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:35 pm
(An Private RP taking place a few years in the past between Natsuki and Yasumeh)
The hung directly above the market district covering many of the small figures moving about from stall to stall below in a fine sweat. Thoudands of parasols moved about shading those below who where lucky enough to afford such luxuries from the heat. Through their midst strode Yasumeh, his eyes bloodshot from a restless night. He appeared disheveled and smelled slightly rank, the stench of sake emitted from his breath and clothing. He had failed to scrounge together enough coin to pass out the night before and as a result had gone through the ropes as he so often did, his dreams turned into wretched nightmares of the last few months of his former life. Needless to say it had left him worse for wear, the constant threat of such nights pushing him to drink away every night and attempt to pass out so his mind would be free and able to truly rest. Every night was worse however, he found over the years his tolerance increasing, requiring more alcohol of more potent variety to get him to achieve such a goal. The tolerance was hardly natural though at the rate it was rising, something told him he was different but he shrugged it off as delusions caused by partial starvation and the excessive intoxication he subjected his body to daily.
His hair was long and tangled up, matted in places though he tried his best to wash it in local fountains before being chased away by authorities. Traveling to streams further outside the city scape wasn't much of an option though knowing the trek there and to the market where more coin could be made simply took to long. He had managed however to gain some comfortable robes and a fine razor he pilfered from a bath house locker room some time ago. Occasionally he'd be given food instead of coin, and while it didn't help achieve his nightly goal mark he was none the less grateful for his belly being able to be filled with something solid, even if it typically did mean stale bread. He moved and rested, now sitting at the market side against an old wooden building. Carefully he unfolded a stained piece of cardboard with some writing upon it and placed the sign by his side and a shogi set before him. The sign read 10+ yen, 1 game, winner takes all.
He had obtained the shogi set quite some time ago while in a bar wager with a common visitor to one of his favorite bars. The man had offered up a large portion of yen to play Yasumeh in a game of Shogi thinking it easy money to defeat a drunkard who was well on his way to loosing his ability to stand. Yasumeh had denied the bet and asked instead for the set itself as an alternative to the money. Surprised but still confident the man took the bet, stating that if Yasumeh lost he would have to be the mans whipping boy for a fortnight... fetching his drinks, acting as his footstool, and in general being treated like a whelp. The game hadn't lasted long and infuriated the man lashed out at Yasumeh claiming him a swindler that had only pretended to be in a drunken stupor to steal from him. A single blow to the jaw left the man out on the floor, and as a result Yasumeh had been thrown out. None the less he won his prize and was grateful for it.
He valued the set like nothing else, to him it was more valuable than the money ever could have been. It was like a blacksmiths hammer, huntsman's bow, or a Bards instrument... it was the tool of his trade and brought in far more than simple begging ever could. He didn't quite know if it was the sight of him that drew challengers to him expecting an easy game or mere pity at his state. Either way though he had yet to loose a game, and it was a good thing that was the case for he, more often than not, didn't have the wager he promised to give should he loose.
Now was certainly that exact situation, but as the sun beat down and the crowd moved about it seemed the locals had caught onto his game and how unlikely they where to win. He made note to move often but couldn't avoid hitting the same places do to the need to be near bars that had fairly cheap and yet potent alcohol for him to take each night, not to mention to avoid the bars that had kicked him out for demanding more when they had cut him off or for getting in fights with other attendee's who complained about his haggard appearance or where merely looking for trouble and typically he was happy to give back in such a state.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:09 pm
(Lol posting will commence tomorrow, the last few days have been pretty busy lol. my post will replace this ooc post via editing. )
It was astounding how many people owned parasols in this area of the rukongai; it was almost as though they had become a fashion statement here. Thankfully her short stature allowed her to weave through the crowd somewhat seamlessly as she made her way to the prospective stall of her choosing. Bowing in greeting to the fish vendor who was probably three times as wide and about five times as sweaty. He smiled widely at the flower headbanded Natsuki who looked over the fish carefully, each sat on a bed of slowly melting ice. after some studious decision making she picked two fair sized carp and paid the man in the currency of this world which certainly resembled real world money but often times felt warm even when they would sit out in a cold room. The large man wrapped the fish in brown paper and a long length of cord for ease of carrying and handed them to the lady before he moved on to other customers who were waiting for their fresh fish as well.
Natsuki Now decided it best to head home with her 'catch', after all she had purchased them for lunch and dinner. While walking her attention was caught by the passerby's who seemed to be glancing at a corner of the building. Intrigued as well she weaved through the flow of traffic and spotted the source of all this attention. the scent of booze reeked from the guy among other potent orders her small nose couldn't quite identify at the moment. It was clear he was a homeless vagabond. looking over the sign she knelt before the board. It was finely crafted and taken care of. It stood out of place amongst this pile of filthiness that was its owner. rather then reaching in to play into his game right away she thought of a more interesting thing to do.
"I would like to see the money you intend to wager before I decide to place my own if you please." It was clear the man was likely low on money and therefore couldn't even fund his part of the game, this brought up a red flag to Natsuki that coupled with the care of this board he was very skilled at the game. She was never fond of gambling to begin with and often analyzed the situation before stepping in. It was clear the man needed assistance but she certainly wouldn't throw money at a habit that may end up harming him or another.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 7:47 pm
Yasumeh sat for hours before someone finally took his bate, however unlike the common rabble that sat before him this person, a young girl with a bundle of fish that sought to see his side of the wager before taking him up on his offer. A small grin crossed Yasumeh's face, showing that somehow he had at least managed to take care of his teeth and that the grunge coating him would likely be solved by a bath and a few nights sober instead of the kind of permanent damage many in his situation had fallen to. "More clever than most it would seem. I haven't the money directly of course, but my set would sell for more than ten times the stated wager" he said little slur left as the effects of the alcohol had left nothing but a slight ringing headache and of course the smell. The set was extremely valuable to him, but he was confident if nothing else. Whether it was the lack of food, sun, or merely his history in playing for money that had worked up this confidence mattered little to him, what did matter was instead gaining enough money to succeed where he had failed the former night as could be seen in the bags beneath his eyes.
His stomach let out a slight moan of protest, awakening to late for breakfast and unable to afford lunch yet combined with what dinner he had likely given to the floor last night did not bode well for him. If nothing else it would lend to the image of desperation and perhaps the ability to get an easy win as desperate and angry men where most prone to making mistakes. Yet something told him this person was not a mark he would be able to take nearly as easily as others should she even agree to the wager.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:54 pm
"I'd rather not have you wager a precious item to you..." Natsuki commented momentarily tapping her finger at her chin in thought. After the brief thinking intermission she took one of the bundled fish and passed it to him. "I'll gift you this as a wager for our game this way it is an equal exchange in value. If you win then I only have to buy more lunch and you are two meals stronger than you were previously, If I win it would be as though the meeting never occurred." Natsuki explained calmly as she pulled a small cloth pouch from her garments and pulled free a very clean set of shogi tiles, they had a light embossing of flowers on the ivory colored surface that contrasted the sharp cyan characters that signified the name of the piece upon them. "I hope you don't mind me using my own tiles I favor their weight over others." she explained before she proceeded to set out her pieces upon the board. "And the fish I purchased for ten yen so it wasn't much to recover." she explained as she finished setting her side of the field. This would diffuse any reservations he might have had for this if any. She awaited his hand to lay out the pieces if nothing else she would have an enjoyable game of shogi. "The host decides the order." she added giving him the lead in picking the turn order.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:23 pm
Yasumeh merely nodded when she suggested using her own pieces. It didn't matter much, indeed it made the chance of a palming trick to cheat far more difficult and thus the game fair even if it would mean substituting ones own -extra pieces- that the opposition would normally use when capturing an opponents peice. He didn't intend to resort to such tactics and she certainly didn't seem the kind to do so either from what little he could gather by her mannerisms thus far, however the best of swindlers and cheats never where the easily predictable type lest they would never achieve the title as a skilled con artist if such movements where anything but extremely subtle. The odds however seemed interesting and he wondered at her intent of playing in the first place when there was, to his surprise, nothing to gain on her end. Perhaps it was the company, or merely the attempt at a game that was her reward given whether she won or lost, maybe it was simply the challenge, and in the end what she lost was valuable to him. Perhaps not so much as coin but it would calm the rumbling coming form his belly.
Over all the offer intrigued him and with a grin and slight bow he acknowledged he accepted the bids. Carefully he pulled out a small silk pouch and let out the heavy marble pieces onto the board. Each piece shone with a glass like dark green sheen and where inscribed in yellow lettering. If anything the pieces themselves where more valuable than the board, and the fact that a man of his position was in possession of these which he could easily sell for several meals baffled most enough throwing confusion into the mix of those that formerly thought they would be winning an easy game making his job that much easier. With no real prize to gain however he could gather that the fish where an expendable resource and thus such worries where likely not to plague his newest opponent.
Carefully Yasumeh began to lay out his pieces in their proper starting order, "You may go first miss. After all, I have nothing to loose but mere time and thus am in no rush to consider my first move" he said playing off the fact that defense and response made the number of strategies he considered choosing from that much fewer and thus that much more accurate and appropriate.
((Did we just want to decide this by dice roll? Playing a full game might be a bit confusing with just text haha))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Zavits W rolled 1 100-sided dice:
42
Total: 42 (1-100)
|
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:49 pm
((certainly or we could decide to end it in a draw lol but the dice sounds fun. = u= I think playing a full length game would take a very very long time lol if it was standard english chess maybe but shogi is like english chess on steroids lol. the dice will be NFS initiative standards 1d100 highest number wins. In the event of a draw then it's a draw game. XD;; ))
"Very well, I'll be sure to make this game enjoyable then. Zensen" Natsuki commented wishing a good fight between the now warring armies. It had been a while since she had someone who was as devoted to the game as her so it would certainly be a good fight. Tapping a finger on her chin once more she plotted out an entire array of possibilities that could be had. after several minutes she performed a test movement of moving her rook to the center of her forces remaining between the front line and the rear. this move often let her gauge her opponent upon their response and she could easily undo said movement should the need arise. For her it was a common starting move against a new player to her.
((EDIT: ouch that could be an easy win for you lol ))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dark Bunny Lord rolled 1 100-sided dice:
27
Total: 27 (1-100)
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:57 pm
((Editing rp bit after roll))
Yasumeh watched and smiled as he saw her play, something very similar to a castle defense where heavy fortification of pieces where placed around the king. Notoriously difficult to break he was uncertain whether the intent was to make him think this was the strategy so as to have him open strong, or if it was as he predicted. Responding he moved the foot soldier before his rook forwards, opening a path for it, and his lance, to strike outwards by his third move. The strategy however had another effect and that was to deliberately open himself to loosing pieces should he continue to play it. In this he would trap the longer range movement, and notably more powerful weapons, in a place by positioning his own power pieces in their only path of escape. It was risky certainly but it made for good fun if nothing else.
The game went on for some time and eventually he lost... for the first time ever he had been outplayed. He was unsure whether he had simply gauged his moves wrong or of the proposition of no gain on the young girls end had thrown him off, but no matter what the reason he was oddly satisfied. He hadn't found a good shogi partner as long as he could remember and now a real challenge had been presented to him, in the form of a stranger with some good wits about them and no apparent want for a prize beyond playing the game itself. He let out a light clap and said "Brilliant, I couldn't have asked for a better reward"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 9:05 pm
((Lol I thought for sure you'd have gotten that roll XD;; anyways I'll use this OOC as a response tomorrow via editing since today was kinda long and I'm uber tired . u. ))
"You made some very unexpected if not hasty moves, I appreciate the game however. I feel you'd have done better had you not been playing for what you have been." Natsuki explained returning her pieces to their home in the simple cloth pouch. She also received the fish in which she had gifted him for the wager. looking up at the sky she could tell that the time of the match had extended into the late day far past lunch time and closer to dinner. "It's unfortunate but this fish is to much for me to eat alone. I was planning on taking it to the farm I'm working at to prepare it, you look like you could use food there is even a basin there could clean up in." She offered rather casually clearly showing no sign of fear from this stranger. Normally she may have been cautious of this type of scenario however she felt the man was simply down trodden by his past and maybe he had a chance to step free of his current life style.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:21 pm
Yasumeh collected his pieces and wrapped up the board before standing and lending his left bandaged hand to Natsuki to help her up, though his hand was likely not much cleaner than the ground itself. "Well if you find yourself in the predicament of having to much food then by all means I'm certainly the man to take care of that problem, quickly to" he said jesting slightly as his stomach let out another low, if none the less embarrassing growl. The bath would be a nice change as well, though a double edged sword he had to admit. On one hand being cleaner meant access to more bars at night, his smell not driving off others from the slightly more upscale or public of places. On the other hand it made him appear more presentable and in a good state of mind, less desperate and more collected... to most this would seem perfect for nigh any goal, but to a shogi-shark as he had been referred to it made his job slightly harder and the best slightly lower to all but the most pompous of fools that would accept his bait with glee.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 2:30 pm
Accepting the offer she got to her feet briefly wiping her hand on her clothing. "Good, maybe time with people can help you find a proper course of action to send your life into. unless you are content with the way you live now, of course I won't judge. I'm Masanori Natsuki." Natsuki commented casually as she took the lead and began making way to the edge of this town where the outskirts were riddled with farms and the like. It certainly wouldn't be a ritzy establishment to many but she was fairly certain that this man hadn't been in any fair locations for some time, aside from taverns and gambling halls of course. "So what is your drive?" she questioned as they walked along the streets. it was a curious observation to be sure but it might get the man thinking about his life as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:03 pm
"Haha, one would think so but I doubt it" he said when she suggested spending his time with more people would likely do him good, his situation somewhat having driven him into the rather poor state he found himself upon. Yasumeh felt a twinge of uncomfortable worry at leaving the town, far away from any pub even if he didn't have the money to pay for the drink he'd need that night. Hist stomach though protested enough that he overlooked it for the time being, suggesting he'd have to find another way to sate his wants if not to get food in him for the next few days. As he followed her out of town and into the farming district, the open air and peaceful calm a nice change from the constantly busy city where the streets where light up day and night by civilization where it appeared night time would bring a blanket of darkness away from the fireplaces of what homes scattered the green acres. "Well it's nice to meet you Natsuki, I am Yasumeh Uratigi. No need to use my last name though, as you may have noticed standard formality is not exactly expected to someone in my position" he said, his eyes drifting about. He had grown the bad habit of looking for thieves, being a vagrant himself that had little life had taught him that anything you had at any moment could be taken if you let your guard drop to much and that many in his position if not worse didn't have much to loose making them incredibly dangerous and brash... thus his mannerisms however relaxing they appeared had an uneasy guard beneath them.
"My drive? Well I suppose it's to survive, peacefully if possible. I have my reasons like everyone else for being where I am and I really only have myself to blame... habits that I prefer to keep even if their somewhat degenerative do to the alternative, but that's not good dinner conversation. How about you, grew up on a farm or...?" he began to say letting the words trail off to finish his vague if not easy question.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
