It's time for me to take some chances [Closed]

[saltwaterlungs]

CHARACTERS: Darcy and friends
DATE: Still January
LOCATION: Kitchen and Bobby B’s
SITUATION: Darcy makes some moves
WARNINGS: None yet

To burn it all to a billion ashes

[ To each of the following; Dimitri, Gwen, Erin, Okie, and Valdis, a text is sent.
Lunch?
I’m in the kitchen. ]

Stop playing dead

[ The core members of what can be loosely described as Team Captain also get texts. Skulduggery, Ava, Maximilien, and Peter.
Meeting at Bobby B’s
Bring anyone you trust.
When they arrive, Darcy’s already set up at a table, looking at her phone and smoking a weed cigarette, seemingly well enough to scrape herself back into some semblance of how she usually looks, in a suit jacket over a hoodie. ]

For one last time, I'm screaming out loud [exploration]

[ Darcy’s got one stop on their mind to prioritize for their own exploration; the crew cabins. Late one evening, upon making certain there’s nobody around and they aren’t being observed, they approach the bulkhead. ‘You could always go in’ is vague even for the Captain, but they have to wonder if they have some sort of… admin privileges equivalent for the ship. So they try to open the door as if they expect to be able to, casually as walking into their own room. ]

Comments

[saltwaterlungs]

"Ah- Ava's invite. Why is it that we get so many Maxes?"

Weird.

"Anyway. Just a discussion about the state of. Y'know. Everything. But no point getting into it before everyone else gets here. You up for a game?"

[freedomsuitsme]

"I've no idea why. Popular name, perhaps? And yes, I am absolutely up for a game. White or black?"

[saltwaterlungs]

"White," because Darcy absolutely has not played enough to learn how to play black yet.

[freedomsuitsme]

"Very well. Your move, then." He gestures at the board with one black-gloved hand.

[saltwaterlungs]

Pawn to e4. Darcy knows one opening and is not interested in learning another one.

[freedomsuitsme]

He answers with pawn to e5. It's a basic response, but as good an opener as any. It's his late game where he tends to get more daring.

[saltwaterlungs]

Pawn to d4.

"So what's your deal."

[freedomsuitsme]

Knight to c6.

"I beg your pardon?"

[saltwaterlungs]

"You know. Like. Your deal."

Knight to f3.

"Why'd Ava invite you? Do you do like magic, or."

[freedomsuitsme]

Queen to f6. That covers a few different points of contention.

"I suppose you could say I'm a magician of sorts. This isn't my first time being trapped in another world for someone's benefit, nor is it my first time finding out that my captor's motivations aren't quite what I assumed. I suppose I'm looking to help."

For some reason, without looking for compensation.

[saltwaterlungs]

Huh- queen out this early. Darcy visibly blinks for a moment, and it's not a smooth movement into their next move.

"Huh. Mais- that's good to know. Probably helpful. What was it like in your last place?"

At length, bishop to c4. Probably better to open the way into castling. However Darcy learned, it seems very... methodical.

[freedomsuitsme]

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Sanity-devouring terrors. Packs of roaming, ravenous hounds. Bitter scuffles for power. And a bit of cosmic warring between eldritch horrors."

Pawn to d6. She's prioritizing castling, isn't she? My, my, he might be able to play around that quite nicely.

[saltwaterlungs]

Their attention snaps pretty firmly on the game now- okay, he's... opening the path for his bishop. The obvious thing is for him to take it all the way to the right, and then that's pressure on their king, if they continue on to castling. And there's not... really anything they have on this side to counter it, not with their bishop where it is and not with his queen already out. Hmmm...

Oh, right, he's talking.

"Sounds fun. No moon goddesses then?"

Pawn to h3.

[freedomsuitsme]

"Not a goddess, per say, but the 'moon' is an otherworldly horror that's gradually been trying to take control of the world I've been captive in."

The lack of momentum on Darcy's move emboldens him to break open the center. exd4

[saltwaterlungs]

Shit- Darcy's eyes flick over the board for a second, okay, okay, going on the offensive, that's fine, they can-

This really isn't the best way to have a conversation but fuck it they're in it now.

"Is the moon just weird in literally every other world. Like I'm having doubts about whether or not the moon in my world is evil because of everyone's weird shit."

Pc3.

[freedomsuitsme]

Be6. More pressure on the center without making unnecessary sacrifices.

"If it helps, I've no idea why it's always the moon, but it does seem like it's always the moon."

[saltwaterlungs]

Answering kind with kind, knight to a3. They'll need to get that knight off the rim quickly.

"I guess if the sun was evil things would be much worse, ehn. Like, the world where the moon is evil sucks, but the world where the sun is evil is a planet that's constantly on fire."

[freedomsuitsme]

O-O-O. It lets everything line up exactly as he'd like it to.

"As opposed to the Constant, which is only sometimes on fire. Mind you, I haven't ruled out the sun being an entity, it just hasn't made a move yet."

[saltwaterlungs]

O-O. Shut up you're just copying moves now.

Constant, huh?

"Do you know Wilson then?"

That conversation remains seared in their mind because of the sheer trauma of seeing those pierogis.

[freedomsuitsme]

d5, time to let things cascade.

"Ah, yes. Higgsbury and I have a... long and storied history, I suppose you could say. He's my most dedicated opponent."

[saltwaterlungs]

The tone of tense concentration Darcy's upholding suddenly... changes.

"Oh, so you're Waxwell."

Which is all they're revealing they know for now.

Bg5.

[freedomsuitsme]

Qg6. Seems he's underestimated his opponent.

"I'm Maxwell. That other name is... not for common use. I suppose Higgsbury shared that with you? Tsk."

Like a card slipping out of his sleeve, the irritation shows on his face without his choosing to reveal it.

[saltwaterlungs]

"Whatever you say," he's Waxwell forever now.

Kc2.

"But yeah. I've spoken to Wilson."

And again, absolutely nothing else is offered.

[freedomsuitsme]

Time to take a gamble. dxe4

"About?"

[saltwaterlungs]

The corner of Darcy's mouth twitches.

Kfxd4.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"