[ If Riven recognises Charles... he says nothing. He does consider him with a carefully neutral expression though, hardly reacting even when the sword is drawn, before he moves on to take a seat at the table beside Isabel and Amame.
For the record they really weren't kidding, it seems. They legitimately are playing a regular game of cards, the specifics of which I will not get into. The rules are quite simple and extremely straightforward, though -- turns out, it really is all about pure gambling. You can argue about how much skill gambling technically takes, but them's the breaks.
There are no extra seats, Charles and Shoma are stuck standing behind Isabel. ]
Tieqiu Boss, Amame
...I didn't know you were here for the Bough.
Sorry, but I'm here to win, too. I have to.
[ Despite being nothing more than a mechanical contraption right now, you can still feel a profound sadness coming from her. ]
Jefe de Los Mariachis, Arthur
I'm not interested in small-talk.
[ As a response to Isabel. Mr. Riven also doesn't seem much interested in small talk, though he is still looking at Charles with a somewhat steely gaze first before he focuses on his cards.
You can have your rounds to chatter if you feel like it... or just play! How do you want to go about this? You have a few items at your disposal, so tell me your gameplan. ]
[charles resumes looking chill and amiable, smiling grimly as he watches the game—even if he's keeping king riven in his line of sight as he does. just ignore the uncharacteristically murderous vibes coming from him. it's probably nothing to worry about. he will kind of shift between shoma and amame, though, if it looks like shoma is trying to leave her line of sight.
... he does get a little distracted with how badly isabel is playing, though, and debates trying to place his sticker on her. does it seem like the other leaders are doing well, in which case a bit of luck is probably not going to save isabel, or are they also doing shittily? unless he cannot tell/it is too late, in which case he can only wonder.]
[ he's at least no longer trying to run away even if he's half-shielded by charles now. he definitely is wondering what the hell is going on here, looking at king riven and then looking at charles before he thinks about what amame said. isabel is playing badly but he's also sort of used to these things going pear-shaped by now that while charles is scoping things out, he's going to aim for distraction.
or, at least, getting an answer to something. ]
Mame...what do you want the Bough for? [ he hates hearing her sound so sad, and he also kind of wants to reach forward and rip off that bowtie so he can stop looking and stop thinking about other things. ]
Turns out this round is total dogshit. Arthur looks dead inside as he puts down a pair, and Isabel puts down a 2-pair. In all his years of gambling his way up to the top, he had never seen such bullshit before.
This is the most miserable set of hands you all have ever played in your lives.
Isabel wins but at what cost? ]
CHARLES
ISABEL
SHOMA
[ Well, that thoroughly sucked. ]
Jefe de los Mariachis, Arthur
This was terrible.
[ Amame folds her cards quietly with the aura of thoughtfulness. That's round 1 done. Riven speaks with a slight huff and scoff, voice stern. ]
Yurodiviye Leader, King Riven
Boy. That aura will swallow you alive in the face of the Bough.
Tieqiu Boss, Amame
Haven't you heard?
The Bough has the power to change everything.
I know you wouldn't have wanted to see me in a place like this, but... if I can get it, I can fix everything.
[ You can do round 2 while having a conversation with your CR. ]
Well, I'll keep your advice in mind, Your Majesty. How's shaking people down for money been going for you?
[what he wants to say on instinct is "you have no right to tell me that." but he doesn't, because he knows it's not him. frankly, charles doesn't even struggle to doubt that, given [mumbles]. if anything, that awareness is why he's fuckin pissed off right now.
but isabel doing better this round does cheer him up a little so he will drop the murderous aura... for now. yaaaay, isabel.]
[ isabel is doing better!!! charles is less murderous!!!
this answer from amame actually fucking sucks!!!
none of this is real. well. in terms of people being here. he thinks. he's, like, not entirely clear on what's happening and how this is happening or what-have-you but he has enough sense to realize this probably isn't amame. then again, it's a good mimic of her consciousness, and for a moment it almost feels exactly like it was hours (days, weeks, now) when he was sitting on a cold chair and a wall of glass was between them. so it's with agitation that he says: ]
No. You can't keep trying to fix everything yourself. You saw what happened last time! You and Dad--[ he just kind of abruptly stops and exhales harshly. ] You can't. It's my turn.
[ Isabel takes another win, nice four-kind! You CAN feel proud of yourself. In fact, +1 PE. Me like is this the first PE you've gained, I hope not. ]
CHARLES
ISABEL
SHOMA
Jefe de los Mariachis, Arthur
Would you like to expand on that?
Yurodiviye Leader, King Riven
'Tis a necessity.
The poor suffer 'neath the foot of giants who gorge themselves on wealth stolen.
Why should their coin not be returned to them, the rightful owners?
[ The AU where Riven is actually defender of the proletariat (sort of). It's a little weird, but listen. The point is, he's still fighting for the people. ]
Tieqiu Boss, Amame
You're my baby brother, Shoma.
I'll always... I'll...
...Sometimes, I still wonder what could've happened if I'd stayed with you and Dad instead.
[ Well, that's neither here nor there, because I just looked at the time and I want to get you guys on your split paths before we force Jan to go to bed. DST is so cursed actually. It does really seem like it's your turn now.
You guys win the game, and although Arthur seems rather unhappy about it, Amame is quiet, while Riven just seems thoughtful on the results.
[charles just lets out a quiet bark of laughter. what a sick joke, hearing those words. his hand twitches around the hilt of his sword, but he stills it.
he is paying attention to the other conversations, sorry, but hey, he figures they're paying attention to his too. he just shakes his head, before moving towards the elevator.]
...we don't have time for that. [ he says, as a person who really should maybe take a moment but chooses to continue suppressing everything. he's still holding amame's gaze just long enough before it's actually too hard, and so he turns for the elevator to follow to our SPLIT PATHS???????????? ]
[ Welcome to the basement. The place is rather dim and kind of awful -- you can see people who will likely never see the light of day again for the rest of their lives, swinging pickaxes to further the tunnels underneath the casino, making room for more vaults -- more places to store gold and riches, built by the hands of the poor.
There is nothing you can do for them. Even if you gave the most rousing revolutionary speech, Charles, they are too downtrodden and committed to their 435,622,359th swing, earning one Ahn per hit of the pickaxe in the stone.
That strange feeling of 'resonance' grows stronger as you go deeper into the dark. It also gets... colder? Yeah, significantly colder, a strange chill that travels up your legs and settles somewhere deep.
You feel lonelier, somehow.
Your surroundings get icier and icier as you go on, too, slivers and little veins of crystalline rime making way to entire walls, swathes, caches of never-melting frost.
Finally, you come out into a clearing, staring up at a massive mansion. The doors call you forth to enter like a pull. ]
[STOP HE WOULDN'T GIVE A SPEECH that's more of his friends' alley than his........... but okay yeah his gaze does linger on the people like he wants to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SITUATION.
he will be good though and follow the cyoa path which is to go deeper in, even if he's frustrated by the inaction... dislike all these other feelings too, though.]
[ he's following after the two of them, and he would normally find this kind of fascinating but with the one-two punch of what just happened and now going further into a kingdom of iceolation, he's just keeping to himself. he doesn't bother giving a verbal response, shoulders hunched and staring around the path before they come up to this mansion.
[ As you step in, your scenery changes. You lose sight of your fellow companions for the time being, seeming to step into a mirror reflecting all you are -- you, and only you, and the sins you've carried.
The Bough resonates deep with you, asking you to see yourself first.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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For the record they really weren't kidding, it seems. They legitimately are playing a regular game of cards, the specifics of which I will not get into. The rules are quite simple and extremely straightforward, though -- turns out, it really is all about pure gambling. You can argue about how much skill gambling technically takes, but them's the breaks.
There are no extra seats, Charles and Shoma are stuck standing behind Isabel. ]
Sorry, but I'm here to win, too. I have to.
[ Despite being nothing more than a mechanical contraption right now, you can still feel a profound sadness coming from her. ]
[ As a response to Isabel. Mr. Riven also doesn't seem much interested in small talk, though he is still looking at Charles with a somewhat steely gaze first before he focuses on his cards.
You can have your rounds to chatter if you feel like it... or just play! How do you want to go about this? You have a few items at your disposal, so tell me your gameplan. ]
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[ okay we're going to play..... which roll of mine were we using. it doesn't matter they're both Bad ]
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... he does get a little distracted with how badly isabel is playing, though, and debates trying to place his sticker on her. does it seem like the other leaders are doing well, in which case a bit of luck is probably not going to save isabel, or are they also doing shittily? unless he cannot tell/it is too late, in which case he can only wonder.]
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or, at least, getting an answer to something. ]
Mame...what do you want the Bough for? [ he hates hearing her sound so sad, and he also kind of wants to reach forward and rip off that bowtie so he can stop looking and stop thinking about other things. ]
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Turns out this round is total dogshit. Arthur looks dead inside as he puts down a pair, and Isabel puts down a 2-pair. In all his years of gambling his way up to the top, he had never seen such bullshit before.
This is the most miserable set of hands you all have ever played in your lives.
Isabel wins but at what cost? ]
[ Well, that thoroughly sucked. ]
[ Amame folds her cards quietly with the aura of thoughtfulness. That's round 1 done. Riven speaks with a slight huff and scoff, voice stern. ]
The Bough has the power to change everything.
I know you wouldn't have wanted to see me in a place like this, but... if I can get it, I can fix everything.
[ You can do round 2 while having a conversation with your CR. ]
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[ well anyway. i rolled a 12, please be proud of me. please. ]
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Well, I'll keep your advice in mind, Your Majesty. How's shaking people down for money been going for you?
[what he wants to say on instinct is "you have no right to tell me that." but he doesn't, because he knows it's not him. frankly, charles doesn't even struggle to doubt that, given [mumbles]. if anything, that awareness is why he's fuckin pissed off right now.
but isabel doing better this round does cheer him up a little so he will drop the murderous aura... for now. yaaaay, isabel.]
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this answer from amame actually fucking sucks!!!
none of this is real. well. in terms of people being here. he thinks. he's, like, not entirely clear on what's happening and how this is happening or what-have-you but he has enough sense to realize this probably isn't amame. then again, it's a good mimic of her consciousness, and for a moment it almost feels exactly like it was hours (days, weeks, now) when he was sitting on a cold chair and a wall of glass was between them. so it's with agitation that he says: ]
No. You can't keep trying to fix everything yourself. You saw what happened last time! You and Dad--[ he just kind of abruptly stops and exhales harshly. ] You can't. It's my turn.
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The poor suffer 'neath the foot of giants who gorge themselves on wealth stolen.
Why should their coin not be returned to them, the rightful owners?
[ The AU where Riven is actually defender of the proletariat (sort of). It's a little weird, but listen. The point is, he's still fighting for the people. ]
I'll always... I'll...
...Sometimes, I still wonder what could've happened if I'd stayed with you and Dad instead.
[ Well, that's neither here nor there, because I just looked at the time and I want to get you guys on your split paths before we force Jan to go to bed. DST is so cursed actually. It does really seem like it's your turn now.
You guys win the game, and although Arthur seems rather unhappy about it, Amame is quiet, while Riven just seems thoughtful on the results.
The elevator is yours. ]
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I wouldn't. You never want to expand on anything, so why should I?
[ WAIT, SPLIT PATHS??????????? ]
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he is paying attention to the other conversations, sorry, but hey, he figures they're paying attention to his too. he just shakes his head, before moving towards the elevator.]
Let's go. Unless either of you needs a moment?
[SPLIT PATHS??????????]
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There is nothing you can do for them. Even if you gave the most rousing revolutionary speech, Charles, they are too downtrodden and committed to their 435,622,359th swing, earning one Ahn per hit of the pickaxe in the stone.
That strange feeling of 'resonance' grows stronger as you go deeper into the dark. It also gets... colder? Yeah, significantly colder, a strange chill that travels up your legs and settles somewhere deep.
You feel lonelier, somehow.
Your surroundings get icier and icier as you go on, too, slivers and little veins of crystalline rime making way to entire walls, swathes, caches of never-melting frost.
Finally, you come out into a clearing, staring up at a massive mansion. The doors call you forth to enter like a pull. ]
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[ hmmm hate this place. but off we go into the mansion! ]
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he will be good though and follow the cyoa path which is to go deeper in, even if he's frustrated by the inaction... dislike all these other feelings too, though.]
I can agree with that.
[off they go!]
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...okay. in we gooooo.... ]
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The Bough resonates deep with you, asking you to see yourself first.
Charles!
Isabel!
Shoma!
Have fun. I say this like you probably didn't already see the TLs on flatview. ]