ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63 
Gender: Female
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Post by ryokouri on Sept 30, 2015 6:21:38 GMT
Clara Monica clearly did not know how to play Wicked Grace. She was sure her expression didn't give it away to anyone save those very experienced at reading faces. She had just assumed she'd learn how to play while the game went on, but she's been putting cards on the table like they mean something. She's really sure the angel of death is bad though. Nothing about that seems good and she's had it in her hand since the start of the game. If only she had asked someone the proper rules before actually agreeing to play. There was a lot of coin on the table, nothing she supposed she'd miss though.
Still! It was the sheer principal of losing she hated. No way she was going to set down that angel of death card until there were no cards left to drawn from. She wondered what would happen then. Would it be a brawl? Would there be conflict? Clara Monica smirked a bit at the idea. The mere concept that anyone would fight over a simple card game was utterly hilarious to her.
She set down a dagger card and waited her the next person to move.
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Post by totalspiffage on Sept 30, 2015 7:16:32 GMT
Enfys eyed the competition critically. Her hand was dismal, but perhaps she could scare a few of them into folding before the round was up. Two songs, really? She cursed the dread wolf for her luck and took another swig of the Orlesian ale. If this continued, she might have to cut her losses, punch a few of them in the face and leave for another tavern. But, she thought, she'd already booked the room here for the week. She groaned internally. No fights unless self-defense in that case.
The deck was getting thin. Chances were likely someone had gotten the Angel of Death already. At least she had her two song cards so she might not lose everything. Still, if she wanted to add to the pool, she'd have to be careful. Maybe she'd try cheating on her next go. Everyone here was cheating anyway. She stretched, laying down her serpent card. "Not many more cards left to go," she remarked with a smirk.
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ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/her
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Post by ryokouri on Sept 30, 2015 16:54:59 GMT
Clara Monica put her cards to her lips and looked at the draw deck. She glanced at the elven woman beside her. Very pretty, she noted before glancing back at her hand. This was going badly and there wasn't much she could do about that.
"What will happen when we reach the end? Will we simply show our hands?" She asked, facing the other woman and placed her cards over her heart. Acting ignorant was usually the best way to go in these types of things she had found. "You don't think someone might be cheating?"
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Post by totalspiffage on Sept 30, 2015 18:24:34 GMT
"Someone cheating? Oh, never, in such respectable company," Enfys replied with a smirk. Accusing anyone of cheating at Wicked Grace was like accusing the Chantry of killing elves. Everyone knew it happened, and it was never acknowledge publicly. If only she'd brought an extra deck to cheat with, she'd have taken the opportunity to cheat then and there. As it was, it was always risky drawing from the discard pile in plain sight. "And yes, we show our hands when the Angel of Death is played," she added, loud enough only for her neighbor to hear.
She regarded the woman next to her. She looked rich. A bard perhaps? Or simply someone skilled at the game. Of course, playing Wicked Grace with Orlesians was always a bit of a risk. She was the only one playing without a mask. Everyone assumed they had the upper hand, somewhat rightly. It simply gave Enfys practice in reading tells other than facial cues. The man across from them played with his mustache when nervous. The woman next to him fixed her hair absently when she was confident. It was a matter of practice.
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ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/her
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Post by ryokouri on Sept 30, 2015 18:54:37 GMT
"Ah, of course!" She smiled. "No doubt we'll reach the end soon enough."
Clara Monica sighed loudly and frowned at her cards. At this point there was little use hiding it. She supposed when her next turn happened she would reveal that she had the Angel of Death. After she drew a card of course. No point in everyone knowing she had it all along. That would make it seem like she was intentionally cheating. It was a shame, however, if it weren't for that maybe she could have won. Knights were good right? Save the one losing card that was all she had at this point. She looked at her opponents. She tried not to shake her head at the man and woman across from her. So tacky! Didn't they know that shade of blue was out of season? Someone should surely tell them, perhaps she will when the game is over.
She leaned closer to the elven woman beside her. "Knights are good, correct? What is the best card to have?"
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Post by totalspiffage on Sept 30, 2015 20:01:42 GMT
Enfys wondered if she was simply feigning ignorance or if she was really that stupid. Perhaps they were lax in their bard training these days. She sighed slightly, "It depends on your hand, of course. You need the most matching cards to win, and then you take the pot. If it is a tie, well, then you and your tie breakers need to see who wins. Usually that means another round, sometimes it means a fight." No need to let her know she had other tells, even if Enfys hadn't personally picked up on them yet.
I mean really, it was common sense. "Is this your first time playing?" Even she, a dalish elf, had played before. Of course, dalish games were far superior and much more fun, but she supposed she would take what she could get. It wasn't as though anyone outside her clan knew how to play Shemassan anyway. It was something her clan had come up with, a variation on some other game, she was sure.
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ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/her
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Post by ryokouri on Sept 30, 2015 20:12:26 GMT
She had picked up on the whole matching thing rather early on in the game, but nodded when the elf explained that rule. She moved her cards around in her hand to serve no actual purpose. It was coming closer to being her turn again as other players picked up and sat down cards. It seemed that she would have the last card at this rate.
She raised her head at the question. "Ah, yes, I have not played this game before. I was simply asked if I wanted to join in and said yes."
That was mostly the truth, she had been asked to join in, but she didn't say yes immediately. It was only after some insistence that she relented. Since her contact hadn't showed up in over an hour past the agreed time it was safe for her to assume that they were not going to show up. Perhaps they were dead. That'd be slightly unfortunate. She had decided to wait a little while longer, but the time was going by so slowly that she decided to join in on the game after all. She did hope her contact was okay, she was really looking forward to getting some dirt on a local merchant who was underpaying his workers. Blackmail was always a good way to shut down those types.
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Post by totalspiffage on Oct 1, 2015 0:36:02 GMT
"Huh. I thought every human played it in these parts. Regardless, I'm sure you'll do fine. It's about luck after all!" Enfys said. And cheating. But that was more implied. She glanced around the tavern, keeping her hand tight and close in case someone tried to snag a glance. She nodded to the barman, who immediately got to work getting another ale for her. Ahhh ale. One of the wonders of "civilized" society was decent alcohol. Probably one of the only things she liked about it, to be honest. That and beds.
The barmaid set her new flagon down and took the empty one away, helping herself to the standard fare from Enfys's pile. Still, this game had been boring. If she tied with someone, perhaps she'd offer a duel to break the tie. Just for fun. Even if she lost, at least the adrenaline would keep her going for a while. "So what brings you here, if not cards?"
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ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/her
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Post by ryokouri on Oct 1, 2015 3:22:00 GMT
Clara Monica watched the barmaid get the elven woman a flagon of ale. She, personally, could not stand the taste of ale, but she attempted not to scrunch her nose as it so she didn't offend her new companion. She watched the barmaid set the ale down and then practically broke her neck to watch the woman leave. She was certainly very pretty, nice figure too. Perhaps, after this game, Clara would approach her.
She turned her attention back to the elven women to respond. "Oh you know, the normal Orlesian affairs. Subterfuge, political gambits, blackmail. All very standard around these parts."
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Post by totalspiffage on Oct 1, 2015 4:26:23 GMT
"Mm. Essentially what I expected. You humans and your political nonsense," Enfys chuckled. She'd handled a few jobs for Orlesian nobles. Pricks. She wondered if that might offend the girl. Orlesians were surprisingly defensive of their petty squabbles. Again, she told herself to mind her manners, shem or not. It would be a shame to waste a perfectly good rented room if she got kicked out of the place. "Then again, perhaps I'm simply jealous you have nonsense to get embroiled in. It's hard to have too much subterfuge when you live with the same group of people your entire life."
The other lady across the table seemed to have difficulty deciding which card to put down. A bad hand, then, Enfys concluded as the lady fiddled with a curl dangling beside her mask. Enfys took a large swig. She'd noticed her new acquaintance looking at the barmaid's rear as she left. So, similar tastes then, she thought to herself. Enfys didn't like to let her interest show, usually opting to appreciate quietly. Most of the staff here were human anyway, and Enfys would have to be a lot more drunk to actively pursue a human.
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ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/her
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Post by ryokouri on Oct 1, 2015 4:39:43 GMT
Clara chuckled lightly. "There is absolutely nothing to be jealous of. Most nobility think themselves experts of the game but really they are just allowing themselves to be unwitting pawns in someone else's scheme. Who is no doubt the victim of another's plot. So on and so on. Who cares if a few peasants are slighted or murdered or even worse, maker forbid? They's expendable in the eyes of court. And why shouldn't they be? It's clearly their fault for being born in poverty and not scrambling their way to the top! Oh, but of course when they are finally able to sit beside nobility, they will be ridiculed in true Orlesian fashion. Passive aggressive comments and assassination attempts."
When she finished her tangent she noticed the man beside her giving her a stern look. She batted her lashes in response. "I am rambling, it is an unfortunate trait."
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Post by totalspiffage on Oct 1, 2015 4:57:00 GMT
Enfys laughed aloud, surprising herself. Maybe she'd already had a bit too much to drink. "Sounds about right there. That's one good part of having only small clans. None of that. And I left because I was too much of a troublemaker by their standards. Here, I'm just another Player, savage dalish that I am or not." Orlais was a mess, but it was an intriguing mess.
She'd had her share of run-ins with the court. Noblewomen using her mercenary band to murder their husband's lover for embarrassing her publicly, Noblemen wanting trophies. Sometimes a mixed bag of every kind of intrigue. It was exhausting. She wondered how the nobles kept up with it while simultaneously crushing the elves at their heels.
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ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/her
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Post by ryokouri on Oct 1, 2015 5:11:19 GMT
Clara's eyebrows lifted so high they were visible off her mask. The women had been so aloof so far she hadn't expected her to laugh, especially not loudly. She smiled, however, glad to be able to bring some amusement. She giggled a bit in response.
"I do not think you're savage by any respect. Especially having been to several parties and seen certain Lords attempt to navigate the dance floor in what I can only assume is supposed to be some sort of dance." She made exaggerated movements with the hand not holding cards. "They looked like fish on dry land. Some might as well have been."
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Post by totalspiffage on Oct 1, 2015 20:14:27 GMT
Enfys had clearly been among humans too long that she would consider "not a savage" a mild compliment, especially from an Orlesian. "Most of my experience with Lordlings like that has, thankfully, been off of the dance floor. It doesn't quite matter what their moves are like if their pockets are deep, I'm afraid, although they have as much business sense as dancing ability." Enfys explained, "I worked for a while in the mercenary business- I realize that may have come across as something a little different had I not clarified."
She wasn't a whore, and she would have said so outright had the company been a little more bawdy. As it was, this tavern was a little too quiet for Enfys's usual taste.
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ryokouri
Junior Member
hAVE I ever like mentioned how much i love iron bull bc it is SO MUCH, honestly?
Posts: 63
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/her
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Post by ryokouri on Oct 2, 2015 2:24:03 GMT
Clara tilted her head in confusion. She thought it seemed exactly what she said it was, but didn't bother to ask what is what the elf thought her words might be misconstrued as. It was becoming dreadfully close to her turn and she didn't want to end their conversation, especially if it meant losing the game. It was inevitable, but she was glad she had been cautious with her bets throughout the game.
"I see, mercenary work suits you in a way." She responded. "Of course, I know not enough of you or what exactly most mercenary work entails for that to be either a compliment or an insult."
She wasn't about to reveal her "profession". Even if she were still a bard that would be a terrible idea. Somehow explaining that you were knife-for-free didn't really seem like an appropriate thing to say to someone who got paid for similar tasks.
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