ow the edge (open)

[blue_ice]

Who: Kaiba (blue_ice) and you!
When: One early September morning
Where: All over campus!
What: DUELS. In any and every game. Or try to talk him down from this madness, idk.
Warnings: Excessive edgy shonen rival behavior. Possibly some dark themes, will be labeled in subject lines!


Kaiba's request, in hindsight, was a foolish one. Every interaction between their worlds and this one thus far had been a disaster with unintended consequences, why would this be any different? And why would he risk his most priceless possessions this way? He could kick himself, but that's not going to save his Blue Eyes White Dragons. His hand trembles as he holds them, watching their attack and defense values slowly tick toward zero.

You are not the worthy heir we chose, says the trio of voices in his ear. Your emotions have made you weak. We seal our power from you until you prove that the spirit of a champion lurks within. Crush your foes with precision! Or are you now a coward?

No. He's no coward. Kaiba sweeps through the hallways with an icy expression, searching for prey. Any instrument they might hold for a game draws him...a deck of Fantastic Foils cards. A basketball. A chess board. A wand. Any game, anywhere...he absolutely must win. He swivels to face his chosen opponent.

"You. Duel me. Now."

Are you game? Or more inclined to tell him he's out of his mind? It's your move.

Comments

[daughterofclay]

Jude looks up from the deck of playing cards she's shuffling. She's sitting comfortably on a little sofa not far from the Valhudor dormitory, though she's clearly wearing Gekronus Maius colours. An oak table with ornate legs is in front of her.

"...sure."

She motions him towards the chair opposite her.

"What are we dueling for?"

[blue_ice]

"A simple test of skill. Stakes are unnecessary, unless you'd like to wager something."

He's trying to sound calm about this, but...it's very difficult to be calm about this when he's in a hurry.

"Which games do you know"

[daughterofclay]

She sizes him up -- one of the math guys, judging by the uniform, which means something like poker probably won't be to her advantage. Of course, that presupposes she isn't cheating, which she might be.

She shrugs, and starts listing them: "Gin Rummy, Slapjack, Idiot, Crazy Eights. If you have another preference, I might know it."

"But I usually play for cash." Sorry, Kaiba, a girl's gotta pay for her impressive collection of daggers somehow.

[blue_ice]

"Fine. Good luck."

He has a stack from some of his previous winnings. He'll dole that out on the table. "Gin rummy will do. Go ahead and shuffle."

He'll pull out his own basic deck (obtained after his first few gos at this challenge) and shuffle as well to have it ready. He's apparently very used to handling cards. If not these particular cards.

"Ready?"

[daughterofclay]

It's at this point that Jude first senses something suspicious: it's weird that he's so... eager doesn't quite fit. Forceful? Of course, this is the Magicademy, and weird things are an hourly occurrence, but still.

Probably better to be cautious; she raises her eyebrows at the amount on the table. "Easy. Half of that will do."

Nevertheless, she nods at his query, and deals.

[blue_ice]

"All right."

His mind works quick, but he's careful to keep on his toes. He can tell she's no newcomer to this game...honestly, she probably has more experience than he does. It's a simple game of math, or at least it should be...but there's more to it too.

"You play often?"

this is so late i'm sorry

[daughterofclay]

"Gin rummy? Not particularly."

Gin rummy is a quick game, if nothing else. She's decided to use at least the first couple of rounds to size him up, see what his style is. Purifeul students are dangerous opponents in games involving probability.

"You?"

[blue_ice]

"My usual card game was different. Far more complex. Buti it's not here and the next-closest game is Fantastic Foils. Most people don't have Fantastic Foils decks here, and that game can be...dangerous. Cursed cards and portals to other dimensions."

The first few exchanges are a solid back and forth. He has a slight edge, maybe.

"Not that I don't like danger, but I'm not in the mood for it. The school's given me enough grief."

[daughterofclay]

Fantastic Foils -- someone else has mentioned that game to her, incidentally also in conjunction with a game from their home. She frowns at her opponent.

"Do you know a guy with spiky lightning hair? Multiple colours?"

[blue_ice]

"Two of them, actually. Somehow, they're not related. But we're all from the same world."

He briefly considers his next move: what to tell her? Maybe the truth...get comfortable, make her think he's dropping his guard. Or so he tells himself.

"The one who looks like he couldn't hurt a fly is Yugi, but don't be fooled. He has a cutthroat battler's spirit under it all. And we're dating, by the way.

The one who looks like an insufferable know-it-all is Atem. He's somehow even more shrewd, but they probably won't hurt you."

Even in a stressful situation, he manages a soft snort while thinking of them.

[daughterofclay]

"Why would I assume they would hurt me?"

She's still not entirely sure she knows which one she met, but either way --he didn't seem particularly threatening. And even if he had been, it's an odd thing to mention about one's lover.