damned_institute | Day 43: Game Room, Third Shift

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Day 43: Game Room, Third Shift

Peh. "Graduates." Who were they trying to fool? It's not like anyone here believed them, and no one ever visited the institute. What was the point in keeping up this sad little charade? To add to the realism of it? Well, whatever. If they wanted to continue this exercise in futility, that was fine with Porky. All it meant was that they spent more time focusing on the day instead of the night, which was definitely a good thing. Now, who was Porky supposed to meet in the Game Room again? Ah, that's right. Porky didn't know...

No matter. It's not like they would be able to hurt Porky or something in broad daylight. Then again, there were some more...savage patients here. Well, Porky was sure that none of them would be interested in meeting with Porky anyway.

While he waited for his mysterious contact, Porky grabbed a gameboy and started looking for a game to pop in.

...No Zelda, no Mario, no Kirby...What was wrong with Landel? Did he have no taste whatsoever? Porky kept looking for something he had actually heard of before, and eventually settled on...Tetris. How dreadfully boring. Well, no matter. As long as he didn't have to play a board game or something, Porky was content. After turning on the gameboy, Porky merely sat down and played, eagerly anticipating whoever had asked to meet with him.

[For Eva, I think~]

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"Ha!" Evangeline laughed contemptuously at the idea that he could count on the good nature of anyone he ran into for protection. "These idiots? You saw them blathering on about 'best zombie kills', right? There are plenty of wannabe heroes who won't look twice and psychos who'll be happy for an excuse to kill something mostly human. If you're a real villain you should know that 'relatively understanding' is the last thing you can call the average person. Especially when they're scared."

She was having fun, though, especially with the trash talk over the chess, and only widened her grin when he added that 'unless there's something I don't know.' Imply that there was a lot but say nothing, that was the best way. "You could say these little soldiers who move only by the hand of their master are my forte. The Magus Puparum moves white as easily as black."

It was nice to be able to give self-aggrandizing speeches again after having to hold her tongue every time she introduced herself to the uncomprehending outworlders of the Institute, and she was clearly enjoying the opportunity.

"Hm..." Porky muttered worriedly, "You may have a point...I was banking on people...well, not necessarily not wanting to hurt me, but more like not wanting to have someone's blood on their hands...but, I'm traveling with someone tonight, and she knows about my...condition. I ought to be fine."

"And you'd better not doubt my feelings about humans," Porky almost sneered, "I've been treated like shit for my entire life. Not once has anyone ever helped me out of the goodness of their heart, assuming any of those idiots had a heart. Anyway, I can almost guarantee my life has been ten times worse than yours."

"Thanks for worrying about me, though!" Porky said as he grinned and winked at Evangeline, "You must care about me even if it's just a little bit! In any event, let's move on to the game, shall we? Your move."

In a few moments, the game was underway. Evangeline's opening moves were rather standard, but she made the curious choice of bringing her queen out early...mmmm, she was quite rash, wasn't she? No matter. That would only make it easier to beat her. A few moves later, Porky had taken the first piece: a pawn. He looked up and grinned at Evangeline.

"So much for deathless, eh?" Porky chuckled, "And here I was expecting a perfect game from you."

Evangeline withheld comment on his claims about the quality of his life. There was plenty she could have complained about with regard to her own, but she had survived it all, and that was more than a great many could say. Lately even that wretched prison of hers had been enjoyable occasionally, and this one had its bright spots too. Besides, she didn't like talking about the past.

And there was the game to focus on. She laughed away his taunt, and responded, "Everything in the world requires sacrifices. Perfection is a foolish illusion. Something chess teaches well. At least a small pawn has a chance of going unnoticed for the length of a game."

With her queen in play Evangeline quickly took a pawn for the one she'd lost, and set about developing her board. Fast on the draw with her queen, and strong in the center... she was nothing if not direct in her play.

"Hee hee hee..." Porky chuckled softly, "You underestimate me, my dear Evangeline. I never let anything escape my eyes. If you were counting on trying to trick me into ignoring a piece or something, I'm afraid you'll be in for a rather nasty surprise. You may think pawns are useful..."

Porky took his knight and placed it in a prime position to capture Evangeline's queen, which was quickly moved out of the knight's line of fire.

"...But I far prefer the knight," Porky finally said, "So maneuverable, so...unconventional. Much harder to predict, wouldn't you say? Perfect for a slippery fellow like myself."

In any event, Porky's strategy was finally forming. He had assembled his knights and a bishop right outside Evangeline's little "fortress," and was quite ready to begin his infiltration. It wouldn't prove difficult at all, unless Evangeline was truly as skilled as she claimed she was, which Porky sincerely doubted. Then again, even if she was, Porky was still something like 10,000 years old, and all that time had certainly given him a vast vault of experience to draw upon.

"Well, Evangeline," Porky said, a smile on his face, "It's your move."

"But not quite enough to survive," she answered, deliberately declining to specify between the knight and Porky, as Porky's knight traded for her own. Not her best line, but the taunting prattle that had drifted back and forth across the chessboard was suddenly starting to grate on Evangeline's nerves, a sure sign things weren't going so well for her. The trade might have seemed an even exchange to an amateur, but between the loss of her knight and her earlier movement of her bishop out of its dominant position her strong center suddenly looked all too vulnerable.

"Oh, dear..." Porky sighed as Evangeline's bishop moved out of its proper place.

Of course, Porky was actually delighted, but he dared not show it. With Evangeline's bishop out of place, there was finally a weak point for Porky to attack. If Porky excelled at anything, it was sensing when his opponent was weak and striking at their most vulnerable points. Within a few turns, Evangeline's precious defense had all but crumbled. There was the pesky matter of Evangeline's ambitious bishop, but that was merely an act of desperation on Evangeline's part, most likely. In any event, Porky's remaining knight and one of his bishops were once again ready to strike.

"So," Porky said almost dully, "What do you think you should do, my dear Evangeline?"

Evangeline glared. Her play was more intuitive than analytic, but she could see where this was going well enough, and feigning a modest, neutral inquiry only annoyed her. She threatened his queen with a bishop, and after wasting a turn escaping a check took it, but rather than a triumph it was simply the least evil she could see, and resulted in his bishop and knight tearing through a good number of her remaining pieces in a series of alternating checks and captures.

Barring any truly stupid moves on her opponents part, the game was decided, but she couldn't bring herself to say 'concede.' Perseverance meant more on the battlefield than the chess board, though...

Well, well...little Evangeline's skill at chess seemed to be all talk. Such a pity. It was clear that she wasn't as young as she appeared to be, but her skill on the chessboard certainly wouldn't be any indication of that. In any event, Evangeline's defensive tendencies had led to her downfall. Porky's aggressive attacks on her formation had reduced her precious fortress to a shadow of its former self. It was clear that Porky was going to win, so what could Porky do to actually make this game fun? Porky had already managed to make things a little interesting with the gambit with his bishop earlier, but that had been a fleeting amusement.

With a bored sigh, Porky used his remaining knight to flick Evangeline's rook off the board.

"Are you sure you want to drag this out, Evangeline?" Porky said quietly and as tactfully as he could muster, "I don't mean to offend, but..."

"Then don't," Evangeline said. "You don't seem to have put much thought into your meta-game, Porky, so let me give you a bit of advice: quiet down and finish the game. That's how real chess is played. If you can't win with dignity I won't let you win at all."

This might have been more precisely phrased, 'if you can't win maturely I'll show you exactly how immaturely I can lose,' but Evangeline, of course, did not think of her own reactions as immature. Even the ones that involved the old bishops-in-the-eyes technique.

With a look that promised that the next few minutes were going to be crucial to Porky's near-future well-being, Evangeline got back to running her king around in the rapidly-tightening noose of pieces surrounding it.

"Ah!" Porky yelped when Evangeline glared at him, "I'm sorry to have phrased it like that!"

After looking down at the board for a few moments, a small smile crept onto Porky's lips.

"Heh heh..." Porky chuckled softly, "Very well, Evangeline. I'll stop acting like such a child and treat you like the adult you are! I won't say another word until this game is over!"

Ah, now this was fun! Two opponents, locked in a battle of wits! Who would win?! Just because Porky had the advantage now didn't mean that he would come out on top in the end! Porky couldn't afford to dilly-dally any more. Now it was serious. A drop of sweat crept down Porky's brow as he tapped his chin with his finger and stared down intensely at the board. Hmmm...most of Evangeline's pieces lay dormant, but that queen of hers...it was proving to be quite troublesome...trying to take it would be too difficult, however...ah! Suddenly a huge grin appeared on Porky's face, and within a few turns, Evangeline's queen had been forced into a corner, unable to attack, but also unable to be attacked. Then again, that was fine with Porky.

[[Sorry I ended up being really busy >_<]]

As far as Evangeline was concerned, the game had been over for a while, and now there was no question at all: with her queen suppressed it was now just down to the formalities of herding her king from its current prison to the execution grounds. The winner won and the loser lost; that was life, and often death as well. There was no need for pity or sympathy for those who played and lost, only those who lost without ever having a chance to play at all.

Somewhere in there chess as a metaphor for life and life as a metaphor for chess had collided badly, but it all worked out. If you were her. The point was that she had mostly been annoyed with Porky, not the game. Or so she could now tell herself, having delivered a few veiled but satisfying threats.

In any event, it didn't take long for the game to end. Evangeline tried to stave off the inevitable, but it was, in the end, irrelevant. Evangeline's king was eventually cornered and she was forced to surrender. Of course, Porky had never expected it to turn out any other way, but it was still satisfying to see the game come to its rightful conclusion. When the final pieces were in place, Porky looked up and smiled at Evangeline.

"Checkmate," Porky said, a friendly smile on his face, "And I must admit, you put up quite a fight, and I mean that sincerely. I hope you can forgive me for my admittedly childish behavior earlier. And I hope you don't feel too bad for losing. Truthfully, your skill was on par with that of a master, but I am 10,000 years old, and with age comes wisdom, eh?"

"Hah!" Evangeline laughed at the self-important declaration at the end. "Wisdom comes from what you do and see, not how long you do and see them. Extra time is just good for adding to your hobbies. Still, you'll have to tell me how you managed that some time," she ended, almost eerily cheerful. He still hadn't taken very good stock of her, thinking she might 'feel bad' about anything, let alone some little game, but he was right to be trying to stay on her good side.

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Day 43: Game Room, Third Shift

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[we're at move 33, I believe]

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