sanctus_dei | 12th Resurrection - How to Make Friends & Influence People

Entry tags:

12th Resurrection - How to Make Friends & Influence People

[A pale young man sits alone at the park at an outdoor chess board during the afternoon. There's pieces on the board, and a few have been moved around. Mostly, he's reading through an old, old book as he sits there. There's no title on the cover, or if there was, it rubbed off ages ago. There's another book sitting next to him too on the bench - just a run-of-the-mill library book on basic car care. He smokes as he reads, and occasionally puts the book down to make a move on the chessboard. Yep, against himself. He has no one else to play with at the moment. Captain Crankypants here knows that he needs to make allies if he ever wants to overthrow this town, or crack its mysteries... but he also really hates 90% of people, and wouldn't know how to make friends with someone if his life depended on it. And without his spellcasting ability, there wasn't much he could do...

Nonsense! There's plenty Theo's capable of... right?

He also knows that he needs to find a relaxing hobby in this town before he goes completely mad. After all, he was just threatening to beat a girl with a wrench for messing with his car that he doesn't even *care* about. And that he already pretty muched FUBARed it on his own. Obviously mechanics will require more study before he jumps in head-first again...

So this was as far as Theo could make it to being social. He's outside, what more do you want? Well, maybe you want to join in and play some chess. Or maybe you just want to point and laugh at him for being a bitter loner. The choice is yours.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ken was bored, and that was never a good thing. Ah, target acquired. He snuck up behind Theo and stole the book. He waited to see if he was noticed and then quick as he could, balanced it on Theo's head. Yes his pranks are the heart attack inducing kind.]

[Oh Ken, you should already know how this is going to go already. Theo damn near jumps out of his skin when you pull the book away, and by the time he turns around to see what happened, it's sitting on his head. The old tome almost falls, and Theo manages to catch it before it hits the dirt. He clutches it for dear life for a moment, the swings around again to see who's there.]

WHAT IN THE HELL--?!

[Ken just stood there and grinned. After a moment he just waved at Theo]

Hey there! Geez you're such a jack in the box! Oh! Hey, chess. I didn't know you played. I suck but a friend of mine likes it well enough.

Christ, Ken! Don't DO that when I'm holding a fucking spellbook! This thing is ancient. If I dropped it, it's done for!

[Huffs, sets the book down, inspecting it again quickly just in case.]

Yeah, I play. Not in ages, though. And the person who taught me was a dimwit anyway.

Spell book? Are cars really that mysterious to you? [Sorry Theo, he thought he'd grabbed the car manual, but looks again and laughs embarrassedly]

Or maybe I just grabbed the wrong book. Eheh...heh...sorry Theo. A dimwit? Now is that actually true or just your opinion of them?

[glarrrrrrrrre]

...Yes, a dimwit. My mentor. Former mentor. Trust me, they don't come much dimmer than him.

[SMILE!]

So...if he was that stupid, how can you be sure he taught you chess right?

He could do that much, at least. And then I outmatched him rather quickly, so he stopped playing me. [He frowns.] Not surprising though, since he pretty much just ignored me anyway, the jackass.

[He makes a sympathetic face at Theo] Why does that sound like the story of your life. [This is muttered cause really, he's the last one that really should pry into anyone's past, still, it seems like Theo's kinda lonely sitting outside and playing himself.]

Uh, I can't guarantee that I'll pick it up with any amount of skill, but would you teach me? My friend never really had the drive...

[Frowns. Thiiiiiiiiinks.]

I suppose. It's not hard to learn, after all. Just have to memorize which way the pieces move. After that it's all up to you. Takes a tactical mind.

[Strangely enough Ken didn't completely suck at tactics. He did after all play professional sports, and taught it to kids. However, this wasn't to say he was good at them either. There was a reason he usually let Omi or Aya tell him what to do out on the field]

Ok! I think I can manage that!

[He'll set up the pieces - he gets the black and you get the white.]

Alright, now pay attention, because I'm only going over this once. Got it?

[He'll give a brief rundown of the pieces and their respective moves. But, he's a fairly decent teacher, so long as you keep paying attention. If you drift off, he'll get snippy.]

[Ken did get distracted once or twice, mainly because the two piece colours were black and white and that held meaning for him, but in his own defense, he did get back on track fairly quickly]

You know, maybe they should have stuck you in a teaching job here, you don't suck at explaining things.

Be forced into putting up with goddamn rugrats all day? No thanks.

Oh come on Theo, the kids here ain't that bad. They're a good bunch. [Ken loves kids, and theoretically he understands that other people don't but it just doesn't quite stick all the time.]

[He picks up the white knight and smiles a little] This one is the one that does the 'L' shape moves, right? [See, he can pay attention]

[Let's not forget that Theo - and even Ken - is practically a kid himself.]

Hnn. I just avoid them. Most here are just droned anyway. There's nothing more annoying than that.

[He nods, his expression still flat.] Right. Good to see you actually are paying attention.

[That's so very true, and even though Ken might not mind the observation, Theo would probably hate it.]

Yeah, it's a little creepy, but they're still human kids. I think I just got used to them honestly.

[He just stuck his tongue out at the paying attention comment]

Just barley. I have one living in my house and he's annoying as anything. Especially since he insists on calling me dad when I'm only a few years older than him.

[He lights a cigarette, frowning]

[This brings up a question that Ken doesn't think he's asked before, but it's a very important question.]

Uh, you may have told me and I forgot...but how old are you anyways?

[Theo takes another move. There goes another of you pawns, Ken.]

Nineteen.

Holy fuck you're young! I thought you were a lot older! [Ken pouted at the loss of a pawn, and actually stopped to think about it for once.]

…I get that a lot. Do I really seem that old?

Well, it's the smoking and the drinking and being angry at the world thing that you've got going. [He's moving a pawn as he talks and wow! He got one of yours!]

That and you act like a 50 year old guy.

[He takes a moment to reply, after taking a long drag on his smoke. It looks like he's thinking deeply about the game, but then he finally speaks up.]

…yeah, well, life is shitty like that.

Lighten up Theo. Life isn't that bad. I mean sure it kicks you in the balls once in a while but it's still worth surviving.

I tried to resist but this was too good

oh plz, you know i invite this kinda stuff XD

So true, the more dignified the character, the easier it is to fluster them

no subject

no subject

oh i derped up which book it was. ack, oh well

Whatever, Ken's dumb sometimes so we'll chock it up to that

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject