[VIDEO] 005 ☽

[messianic]

[This is a tired Minato on your SFCs today, Vatheon. It's been a few days, but what could he do? Pull people out of their safety to ask them to help him? Distract from the effort to save the city because he has a somewhat selfish request to make?

Of course not. But now that the fish monsters are gone, he has no issues with asking. Because after Aigis' breakdown, this has to happen.

At the very least, he's no longer very sick.

But first--]

I hope everyone is alright. It seems like most of the creatures are gone, but there might still be a few we missed, so be careful. If anyone is in need of any healing, please let me know. I'd like to thank everyone who helped with the Defense Force as well.

[Even if they didn't stop every death, it was a start. He has to believe they can get better from here. ...Ahem.]

If...there's anyone who is good at fixing things, I'd appreciate it if you could let me know. I need some help with something really important.

[For a moment, he looks sad, but then he shakes it off. He's about to shut off the feed from there, when he seems to remember--]

Ah...one more thing. Adachi-san seems to have gone home. At least he wasn't hurt by the monsters.

[...a contemplative shake of his head and he shuts off the feed.

Click!]

Comments

[messianic]

[Aha...that's better. It's getting more challenging now, though the head start Minato received is proving very helpful in trying to pin N down.]

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ That it is. N's hand twitches to make a move and then it falls as he realizes he has nowhere to move; his king is trapped. ]

[messianic]

[...oh. He pauses, tilting his head, as if he just noticed.]

Ah. Checkmate.

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ Hmm.

N frowns at the board, studying it quietly. The thoughts are flipping through his head at a rapid speed, but when he speaks it is just a simple question. ]

Can we play again?

[messianic]

[It's a peaceful look when Minato looks at N and nods. He rather expected he would say that, and so he picks up the pieces and sets up the board again.]

Of course. Your move.

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ This time, N is obviously much more at ease with the game, though he plays as fast as he did the game before. ]

[messianic]

[And this time Minato has to pay far more attention to which moves he is making where, though he doesn't seem to be too bothered by the game.

He moves his chess pieces with a laid-back ease, in direct contrast to N's quick pace.]

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ Now that he is relaxed in his own way, N begins to babble as he leans over the board. ]

Do you play this game at home a lot? How did you learn? Who made it up?

[messianic]

[Minato pauses to sort through the babble, answers as calm and slow as the rest of his movements.]

No, I don't play often, but I learned when I was younger. I'm not sure who made it up; it's a very old game.

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

I like it.

[ He is being truthful. His mind easily grasps onto strategy, and part of it is happily flipping through all the possibilities open to both of them. Minato is a challenging opponent, making this a difficult puzzle to sort out. ]

Why does white always go first? And why can the Queen move anywhere and not the King?

[messianic]

[...huh. He blinks, considering.]

I'm not actually sure, for either of those. I know it's just how the game is played. I'm sure there's a reason...

[He moves his pieces thoughtfully as he considers N's questions. Mmm...]

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

Maybe I can find out at the library.

[ For N is nothing if not horribly curious, about anything and everything. ]

[messianic]

I'm sure you could, N.

[...

...

oh he was so absorbed with answering the questions he didn't notice--]

Mm. Check.

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ Oh! Damn. How does he get out of this?

N frowns, nibbling on his lip, and tries to escape, but he has wandered too far into danger while he was distracted by his own thoughts. ]

[messianic]

[Minato can see that as well with a glance at the playing board. So he makes his next move. And the one after that. And the next and--]

Checkmate.

Good game, N.

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ Hmmm.

N does not seem particularly mad about it, though he gives a soft huff. Instead he just ends up staring intently at the board, turning over all the moves they both made in his head. ]

[messianic]

[...Mm

He'll let N ponder all he wants. Minato simply leans back in his chair, hands finding his pockets again, and waits patiently for N's verdict.

Honestly he's a little surprised that he's managed to win even these games; he's decent at strategy, but chess is not one of his common activities.]

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ N reaches out and starts to put the pieces back in their places. ]

Once more.

[ It is all clicking into place. N is not instantaneous... but he is fast.

He will win this one. He has decided it.

N moves a pawn forward. ]

[messianic]

[N doesn't even ask this time before the game is started, and that's something Minato notes quietly. But he nods, making his move quietly in return, spending the rest of his time watching N, rather than the board.

Hm....]

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ He is free to watch as much as he wants without objection, as N is focused solely on the board. However, his expression is far from serious. Instead it is obvious that the boy is excited. He is nearly quivering with energy, eyes bright with enjoyment.

He gets this. He understands this game. He can win. He knows it. ]

[messianic]

[And it seems...he can.

Minato has been paying attention to the game as well as keeping an eye on N--now he pauses, considering his next move.

Huh.

....tough.

He eventually makes the best move he can, but he's on the defensive for the first time.]

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ N does his best to keep him on the defensive. In a lot of ways, it is similar to a Pokemon battle: his team is larger, but they each have their own moves and he does not have to worry about weaknesses, just location. There is not the added concern of not knowing the other team's moves: he knows every move Minato could possibly make, simply because they are both constricted by the rules of the game.

Now it is just a matter keeping up with the other boy, and pitting their abilities to strategize against one another. ]

[messianic]

[Minato doesn't show any outward change, though he's definitely focusing a bit more now. This is a pretty serious game, and N is easily predicting what he will do, and so he pays a bit more attention.

Strategy, it's something that comes rather naturally to someone who is used to leading a group.

But it is also something that comes naturally to N.

He returns moves with moves, trying to force N back on the defensive a bit, though he is losing pieces by doing so.]

[singularjustice.livejournal.com]

[ N is not a particularly defensive strategist. Few of his Pokemon ever used support moves.

However, his longest friend had been Zoroark. He was well-versed in the uses of deception. Why not try it here? He backed off, letting Minato take the offensive, and attempted to set himself up to trap the other's more valuable pieces as he was concerned with chasing after him. ]

[messianic]

[Which is, of course, underestimating Minato in a way. He might not know N's strategies but he does know N--and he's fought with him enough to know that backing down isn't his style.

Minato response is not cautious, per se--

But he does know a trap is coming, and so he does not press his obvious advantage, instead attempting to set up a bit of a trap for N of his own.]