the_campus | DUEL 003: The Bored Spirit At Play

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DUEL 003: The Bored Spirit At Play

[To say that Bakura's been in a good mood lately is an understatement.

Thanks to the thief king, he has the eighth key that he needs once he gets out of here. It's frustrating being trapped in this place, but he's spent so long with the Ring's imprisonment that it's easy to cope with this. It's just a waiting game. It always has been.

It's said that the greatest enemy of the immortal is boredom. For Bakura, that's an understatement. There weren't many duelists around, getting rid of people wasn't possible with the curse upon this place bringing them back, and the problem with letting his darker instincts out was that in this place, there was no way to get away with it without word spreading too fast, or his victims recovering. How tedious! Even if he took their souls, this place would probably return them to their bodies before long. He couldn't even pursue the remainder of his collection, with Shadi not being accessible.

So for now, he's sitting on the ground in the courtyard despite the cold, working with a much more mundane hobby. He's making a marionette.

It's not quite finished, but it might look familiar... It looks a surprising amount like a creepier version of a certain young boy with ridiculous hair. It's symbolic! And it isn't the only one there. Hanging over the nearest doorway, waiting to fall down on anyone who opens the door to come outside, is a slightly more intimidating one...]

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...heh. That's because he got into dueling as a weapon, rather than dueling as a game. Everything old is new again, huh?

[huff]

I'm well aware of that.

[Not just because she got pulled into a war. But because Malik showed her his "dueling as a weapon" when he used her to do it. And even after she came to know him more, she was the one who taught him how to war duel....]

But, you know, he had to become a better duelist in order to defeat me enough to level up. I think he can have fun dueling, it's just that he's not used to it.

[Maybe even in general. What opportunities for fun did he really have?]

[...oh, that's right. This girl... Heh. He'd almost forgotten. That had been fun, even if Malik hadn't cared for the aftermath. Bakura laughs softly, amusement tinting his voice.]

Of course he can! Speaking of having fun, did he give you that invitation yet?

[Malik hadn't really said one way or the other.]

Maybe this place is a good thing for him, if only because it takes him out of the warzone for a while.

... Do you really believe that, or are you that desperate for a silver lining?

[She didn't peg him as the type to value security over freedom.]

I don't think I got any invitation, though.

...Harriet. [His voice is oddly playful.] Unlike Malik and you, I can wait for eternity if I have to... and what I'm waiting for will wait for me as well. It can't progress without my keys. Without me. So even if I get bored to tears on this pitiful little island, I can endure it without becoming desperate. Time is nothing to me.

[A slightly vicious note enters his voice at that word. 'Nothing'. That's right. Even if he's impatient as hell, he's learnt patience the slow and troublesome way. The only true freedom for him was waiting out there, but he'd claim it eventually. He just had to keep waiting for the opportunity to arise.]

But, Harriet... You've seen it yourself, right? I'm a selfish person who doesn't care for others. Malik's the only person who's managed to pierce through that, and even so, I'm still always making him mad with my carelessness. Caring for others is a pain...

So I was trying to think of things like a normal person would. A normal person would be happy that their partner was free of risk and responsibility for a while... I think.

Was I wrong?

Edited 2014-01-13 20:33 (UTC)

[She's hesitant, since he seems to have misunderstood her meaning.]

No, not wrong, exactly - if this was that kind of place. Don't forget the amount of control they have over us here. That safety is an illusion, so... rather than say it's good that he's ended up here - which gives this place undue credit - be proud that you've made the most of it together. That's what I think.

Ah... I get it. [Come to think of it, that did sound complacent, didn't it...]

Sorry, Harriet. I didn't mean it to come off as saying he was lucky or anything. Though thanks to you, he definitely does have more of a chance than he did before... I don't think we owe this place anything.

[Harriet nods.]

It would be best if you could live free of strife without also being imprisoned, but I'm sure that would be too much to ask.

...

[I couldn't stand a life like that for long... It's a clear thought, but one he doesn't voice. Bakura thrives on chaos, on blood, on fear... he can't imagine a peaceful life unless he was forced - as in this case - to endure it.]

I'm sure the gods would sooner smite us both down than let that happen. Anyway, the invitation... Have you ever played Monster World?

Edited 2014-01-13 22:49 (UTC)

It's what I plan to do, once I get out of here. [Though to what degree she'll be successful remains to be seen. How does one go back, from being a legendary hero to a regular college girl?]

Monster World? Well, I keep hearing it mentioned, but no, I haven't played.

Malik and I are planning to host a game of it sooner or later. Just a small one. You, Ryou, Malik, and myself.

If you want to try it out, that is.

Ryou made the set a while ago, but we never got around to using it. If you're willing to try it, he'll make a figure for you.

Sure! I admit I'm a bit curious about it.

Heheh... That's great! If you need to know anything about it beforehand, Ryou or I can fill you in.

Thanks, I wouldn't mind an explanation of what I'm getting into.

[Actually, maybe she should have asked that before she quickly agreed to it. She must be really bored.]

Heh. [Drawing his legs up underneath him, he links his hands in front of him.]

I don't know how much you know about roleplaying games, so I'll explain in detail. Bear with me a little until I'm done, okay?

[Not even waiting for her answer...]

Monster World is a TRPG played with fully customized setpieces. One player is the Dark Master, or DM for short - in this case, Malik. It's his job to weave a story for the other players, and to play the role of NPCs and enemy monsters. The other players take on the role of adventurers. There's multiple classes with different skills, all of which need to be rolled for to determine their level of success. There's one die for tens and one die for single digits. On the adventurer's side, their attack strength and chance of success is determined by how low their dice rolls are, as well as their personal strength. Getting a critical hit - 00 - will inflict massive damage, while getting a 99 will not only miss, but cause damage to the user.

To keep it fair, there's a rule the DM has to adhere to; every square has a chance of monsters appearing, but always at a specific level. So the DM has to state the chance and then roll the dice to see if they can get a number under that percentage. So it's impossible for them to summon a level 99 monster to stomp on a level 3 Illusionist.

The game is 'won' when either the final boss is defeated... or the adventurers are. So it's the DM's job to try to set up obstacles for the players in the hope they'll fail, and the players' jobs to work together to figure out the DM's puzzles, avoid traps, and defeat enemies.

I see... it sounds rather involved. I've never played a game like that before, so it should be fun.

[she pauses.]

... Or traumatic, if it's navigating a world of Malik's creation. Either way, interesting!

[She's joking, honest.]

[Bakura grins.]

Heheh. Malik's never run one either. Ryou and I have... but this is all going to be Malik. I might end up helping with the maths side of things, but that's the extent of the help he's getting.

You right; it'll be interesting, if nothing else! I'm curious as to what he'll come up with.

Since he hasn't invited me himself, I assume he's still working on it.

[She shrugs.]

Well, I'll look forward to that when it's ready.

He made the decision to invite you weeks ago; I'm surprised it hasn't come up. He's been planning this game for months. Ryou spent a long time making the figures and setting for it. If Malik's ever brought you into our apartment, you've probably seen it.

[His grin widens a little, more out of malice than anything else. If you two've been using his bed, that's where he draws the line, lady.]

Really, that long?

[Wow, months? In that case, he's kept tight-lipped about it. Good thing she didn't turn down the invitation, jeez.

... The malicious grin does not go unnoticed, but Harriet ignores it for now.]

Well, I've been over once, in November. We were watching a DVD, I didn't look around too much...

[She trails off, trying to remember if she saw anything.]

[Pulling the Yugi puppet onto his lap, he messes with it in an absent manner.]

It would have been dismantled then, so the pieces would have been leaning against the wall, mostly out of sight. But there's a chance at least some of the figures were lying around. We originally planned to play it before he started to get to know you, but there wasn't anyone else we could safely ask to join. Letting Ryou invite Yugi unknowingly would have been a disaster, and he was probably the only other person who might have been interested at the time.

[Not that they hadn't thought of it. Even intended on it, at one point. But it seemed Malik really didn't care about revenge unless it was on the Yugi outside of this place... Since he had learnt of how transient death was, anyway. Though Bakura would have been happy making the boy into a toy... Malik really wasn't too happy with that plan.]

Edited 2014-01-16 01:40 (UTC)

[Is he saying it took so long because they didn't have any friends? These sad sacks.]

...Heh. Worked out rather well for you two, didn't it?

[There are people he used, and people he cared about. Only one person fit into the second slot other than himself. Friends were for people like Yugi.]

...

[Was she making fun of them for it inside her head? Hard to tell. But that hesitation... Kh, how irritating! ...maybe he was just being paranoid.]

What did? Finding someone else to play with?

Edited 2014-01-17 03:39 (UTC)

[Nonsense. Harriet's not a Yugi type, and she still manages to get friends!!]

Finding me, yes. Since you had no other options...

Well, I suppose I'm all right with being a last resort, as long as the game is entertaining.

[It helps that she actually intends to have them. Bakura doesn't care if he has them or not, and Malik is... Malik.]

...last resort? I don't think that's quite the right term. We'd enjoy having you. But if you didn't want to play, then that wouldn't matter.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll enjoy it at least a little. Even if you've never played a TRPG before, they're quite involving.

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