Do(n't) Break the Ice!

[love me til death]

Prompt: Nerys discovers Ryo playing board games alone.  

[Kumako Shock]

The little fire drill in the middle of the night had taught Nerys one very important thing. She very desperately needed to start figuring out where everything in the building was. Being unable to find the main hall on her own had been a problem. Gods forbid if something similar ever happened again. The smartest course of action would be to prepare. To learn where things were. So that she would never be stuck so lost again.

Which was how she had come to wander the halls during their downtime, trying to learn how to get to the main hall, the ballroom, and the classrooms they used every day. So far she had gotten the main hall figured out. Her diligence had been rewarded with the ability to get to breakfast on her own without having to follow the herd of students.

The other rooms she didn't quite have the hang of yet. Partly because of just how impressively large the school was. Mostly because she didn't have a very good sense of direction and couldn't just learn a path after navigating it once. It had been a contributing factor in why her time working as a maid as a child had gone so disastrously bad. She was always getting lost and missing deadlines on tasks. But she was no longer a child or a maid. She could do this.

Trying to remember where the history classroom was, Nerys slowly pushed open the door she'd found herself in front of. The door wasn't the full way open when it became apparent that she had made a wrong turn somewhere. Books and games lined the walls. Intrigued, she stepped into the room only to discover she wasn't alone.

Wide eyes met a man, seated playing a game with... A doll? A very creepy doll at that. Her eyes flicked away from him, focusing instead on the game he was playing. It wasn't one she recognized. To be fair she only knew the few card games the women would play to pass the time between clients.

"Oh, um," Giving a quick curtsy, she continued. "I do apologize for disturbing you, my Lord." On instinct, she started to turn. He was clearly trying to enjoy his afternoon peacefully on his own. Getting in his hair would only anger him. That was not something Nerys was interested in. However... She hesitated, glancing back at the odd man and his toy. More importantly, whatever the were doing between themselves.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but what game is that?"




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game room ❅ ryo ❅ dress

 

[love me til death]

"Ryo" "Bubby"
After the explosion, Ryo was finally starting to feel more comfortable at school. It wasn’t necessarily that he was making more friends but more that he was finally comfortable with himself. Having Bubby around made it so that he could always have someone to talk to and today was no exception. Many people might have found it weird to play a game against one’s self but seeing as he only other person that would join him was his brother? There were no other options. No offense made to his brother, Ryo loved him very much, however, Clint just wanted to move the knights which made for lame gameplay.

The thing he liked about playing chess was that there were so many potential outcomes. The main struggle he faced at Utopia was finding an opponent to play against, most people were afraid of him and those that weren’t, he was afraid of. There were a few exceptions of course but he was still scared to ask them to hang out with him in case they said no. Possible rejection was something he always feared, more so because it caused him to lose control of his powers than anything else but ultimately not worth the potential risk.

Ryo had no problem playing by himself for the time being. Sometimes he would even manage to crack himself up with his own cleverness. Being so focused on the game with the puppet he didn’t even notice the girl happening upon him at first. ”Bishop to b7.” moving his piece and then looking up and seeing her. At first glance, the girl looked prepared to flee, her wide blue eyes seemed shocked at the sight. Eye contact appeared to be difficult for her as well seeing as she was quick to look away once he did look at her. Instead, she was now focused on the game he was playing, or was it the fact he was playing with a doll? It was hard to tell based on initial glances.

"I do apologize for disturbing you, my Lord."

Surprised by her manners, he wasn’t sure what to say to her. Looking her over her clothes seemed too elegant to be a part of the help, it was possible she was a duchess but even the duchesses at Utopia seemed to have a twisted sense of confidence and self-worth despite being lower than the potential kings and queens around them. Everyone here had different backgrounds, so her demeanor might have been just a survival tactic, similar to his use of Bubby.

Standing up, Ryo did a quick bow, ” Y-you’re not not disturbing me. I apologize for scaring you,” sure that Bubby had scared a person off once more. Preparing to return back to his game once she looked more closely at the two. However, it seemed more like she was investigating the game board between the two, was it possible she played as well? It would be fun to have an actual person to play against, even if he didn’t know her.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but what game is that?"

It seemed as though she was investigating due to curiosity, still, it was a conversation. Her formality was a pleasant surprise, not used to being called a lord unless it was by one of his own servants. Most tended to just glide by and avoid eye contact. He glanced at the game and his own companion, ”You mean chess? It’s a popular game from my kingdom.” Looking back at the girl he wondered if this was his chance to play against a real person for a change. ” W-wwould you like to learn, my lady?”

Looking over at his wooden companion, he figured it was best to move him, grabbing Bubby and placing him on the chair by him. ” If you sit here I can teach you.” gesturing at the now empty chair. Insecurity had yet to get the best of him so far meaning Bubby remained dormant for the time being. He could only imagine what would happen once he did reveal himself. It was better not to think about such things, manifesting the insecurity would just make it appear. Standing over the board, Ryo started resetting the game board having the white start on her side and black on his. Hoping for her to join, he did his best to seem approachable faking a a soft smile. It felt forced due to his level of comfort, but it would have to do for now. Sitting opposite the empty chair, he wondered if the girl would join him. Looking at Bubby, he wouldn't blame her either way, while he found his best friend to be a source of comfort, he knew most found him to be intimidating.



OOC:
Wearing: x
Thoughts: Who are you?
Location: Game Room
With: Nerys and Bubby  

[Kumako Shock]

Maybe the first few people she had met were the strange exceptions who weren't interested in manners. That clearly must have been it. Despite his gloomy features and his doll, the dark haired man before her didn't try to correct her when she called him 'My Lord.' Neither had Lord Haruka on the night of the explosion and evacuation. Enzo... well he hardly counted when he knew so many intimate details about her. Regardless, she was finally meeting people who made sense.

Watching as he raised to give he a quick bow, she dipped her head to him in a show of respect. Being on the receiving end of such polite gestures still felt strange. For the last year she had been playing at duchess, but not really. Not with how Aneirin had always liked to treat her. A pool of dread expanded in her stomach at the thought, knowing there were things she had already done here that he would have something to say about when she returned home.

”You mean chess? It’s a popular game from my kingdom. W-wwould you like to learn, my lady?” Feeling lost, she found herself raising her gaze to meet his once more before dipping it back down to the game. It seemed complicated, all of the pieces being carved into different 'characters.' Would she be able to learn? Yet he glanced back at her with a glimmer of hope. Like he didn't want to be stuck here playing with just the doll. How was she supposed to know what the right thing to do in this situation was?

Before she could say anything, he was moving the doll. ”If you sit here I can teach you.” He made a sweeping gesture at the now clear chair in front of him as he placed the beaten up plaything in the chair next to him. It was a bit cute, watching an adult man care for a clearly loved toy in such a way. It made him seem less threatening as he stood over the board between them and sending a smile her way. Sitting had made him look so much smaller, but he had to be at least a foot taller than her. The realization made a jolt of unease course through her.

Not sure what else to do, Nerys stepped forward. Delicately, she ran the backs of her hands over the back of her dress, smoothing it out so that she sit properly in the chair the doll had vacated for her. Folding her hands into her lap, she didn't know what else to do but watch him reset the board. Each little character seemed to have a spot they belonged. Each side had all the same pieces, though she did note that her pieces were white and his were black.

"Thank you." Finally pulling her gaze back up to search his face as he sat, she noticed he was looking over to the toy whose seat she'd stolen. Did he regret inviting her to play with him? If it had only been a request out of politeness Nerys had just made a terrible faux pas. "I- I've never seen this 'chess' before My Lord, I pray you can forgive my mistakes going forward." Absently, she twirled her fingers together in her lap, hoping he wouldn't notice the nervous action. It seemed rude, especially after he had gone so far out of his way to be inviting.

The rules were annoying in instances like these. Nerys had wanted to ask what kingdom the game was from. How could she when it would be asking him to reveal his own kingdom? After saying the game was from his kingdom the question that danced on her tongue had died before she could speak it. Silence filled the space between them, a heavy blanket she wasn't sure she how to navigate. "I do apologize, My Lord. I didn't introduce myself." Hesitantly, she looked up at the dark haired man through her lashes. "I am Nerys. May I ask you name?" The question felt bold, yet it was still safer than anything else that had sprung to her mind.




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game room ❅ ryo ❅ dress

 

[love me til death]

"Ryo" "Bubby"

It was hard to tell if the stranger decided to sit down of her own free will or out of fear. The bags under Ryo’s eyes tended to make his offerings of companionship much more intimidating than he intended. Few understood that outside his family and those that did still tended to keep their distance. There was no one to blame really, Ryo couldn’t change the way he looked, sure, he could listen to his advisors and toss Bubby to the curb but what kind of a person would he be if he threw his first friend in the garbage?

"Thank you."

It looked like she was comfortable, or as comfortable as she could be after being drawn into a chess game with a complete stranger. Was it possible he had accidentally taken her hostage without realizing it? The annoying voices of his counsel were already starting to ring in his ear over the incident. Well, if that was the case Ryo would do his best to make the experience comfortable for her, if that was possible. The vibes in the air were riddled with anxiety and it wasn’t coming exclusively from Ryo for once, it would seem like he would have to be the calm one for this interaction.

"I- I've never seen this 'chess' before My Lord, I pray you can forgive my mistakes going forward."

The gears in Ryo’s head continued to spin as the girl spoke, remaining silent as he thought of what to do next. Was it best to comfort her or just smile? Social interactions were proving taxing and the prince could already feel his battery draining. To no fault of the girl’s, it just was not something he had prepared himself for, despite the many times his mother had trained him on how to make friends. In moments like these, it was hard not to recall how his first marriage went before Ryo had even spoken, the sight of him was enough to send the girl away screaming.

” Mistakes are a part of the game my lady. You just have to hope you are better at recovering from yours than your opponent.” sounding more factual than sensitive as he spoke. Sometimes it was just easier to be rational in these situations, not that Ryo would know. His random mood swings were famous amongst the kingdom, it was no wonder he was considered an initial suspect in his father’s murder. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was able to pay off the investigators to make it officially ruled a suicide, he probably still would be.
"I do apologize, My Lord. I didn't introduce myself."

Oh no. Neither had he, this was probably considered a social misstep. Thankfully, Nerys was quick to rectify it, bravely introducing herself first. No mention of her title or homeland, but looking her over once more, Ryo felt confident saying she was either from Hyouden or Stilicidium. Despite knowing the dangers of assumptions himself, it was hard not to be curious. Especially with all the rules set in place here, it seemed rude to ask her without revealing his own. ” No apologies necessary, it was me so rudely forgot to ask before having you sit down. I’m Ryo. Thank you for joining me Lady Nerys.” Doing his best to offer a kind smile.

Where was he to start? Explaining the pieces felt like a safe bet but what if that was too much information all at once? It seemed like Lady Nerys was one of higher intelligence based on her mannerisms but that was Ryo going on assumptions once again. Picking up one of the pawns on his side he started his talk, ” So, these pieces are the pawns. They can only move one space forward. U-unless it’s their first time moving then they can, um, move two spaces forward like this,” moving the pick in his hand two squares forward before returning it to its space.

Ryo felt like his brain was going a million places at once. Maybe it was better to explain the goal of the game first. The excitement and anxiety of getting to teach someone who actually wanted to learn was proving to be too much for the man to handle. Taking a deep breath, the prince decided to start over, ” The goal of the game is to get the opponent’s king while protecting your own.” picking up his king as a demonstration, " The rest of the pieces move differently around the board to try and capture your opponent's pieces. It, um, makes more sense as you play." He feared he was speaking too much and started to feel winded from speaking so much. What if he was boring her? Would she be too polite to say anything?



OOC:
Wearing: x
Thoughts: Sorry I am talking so much
Location: Game Room
With: Nerys and Bubby