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[use_everything]

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[failureisntachoice]

[ She hasn't been living in the house for long, but her time there has brought a welcoming batch of distractions. One of which she is setting up at the coffee table in the living room with a couple of bottles of dark beer for her and her opponent. Nothing like a strategy game to keep her mind busy, though she wonders if Aral really knows what he's getting into. ]

You sure you want to play this? With me?

[use_everything]

I assure you, I lose with grace.

[He sets out the board, a far, far simpler creature than the monstrosity in the study. The map is some replica of the borders of ancient earth, and the rules limit the armaments significantly.]

In fact, I would say it's not my wins I've ever learned from.

[failureisntachoice]

Good, it's a skill you'll need.

[ She already has the rules to this game memorized, a much simpler task than the convoluted ones the boys had made up for their patchwork game. She's already reaching for the blue colored pieces to set up. ]

Want to bet anything on this?

[use_everything]

Most people just ask for gifts if they want them. I know better than to stake money on it.

[He salutes her with a small lift of the brown bottle and tips back a quick pull of the beer.]

[failureisntachoice]

I'm more into taking, but I suppose I can put in a request if needed.

[ Though the lack of real betting is disappointing. ]

[use_everything]

[The first few moves of the game are slow.. both defensive players in general...]

I'd ask what you considered worthy stakes, but I imagine I can guess.

[failureisntachoice]

[ She has no plans to move quickly, she wants to see what Aral does. It's easier to adjust her tactics if she has a profile of his strategies. Their other board game didn't exactly provide proper data with how haphazardly it was played. ]

I was going for money. But I might settle for free drinks at the cafe or you bringing me drinks all afternoon.

[use_everything]

Ah. So is the aim to be spoiled or just enjoying the demotion of one's opponent?

[failureisntachoice]

If you're not willing to bet money then yeah. I'd get a massage out of you too, but that'd be asking for too much.

[use_everything]

[The problem with games like this is that it just didn't have enough variables. They were all patterns, a bit like chess. There were only a certain amount of ways to open as there were to play out end game. The random variables and chaos were missing. In some ways, a clean thought exercise was refreshing.

He makes the first advance, cautious, probing.]

For that high of stakes, I'd want a fighting chance. Can you play it on a human level?

[failureisntachoice]

[ She makes a face at that. Could she play that stupidly? It might take a lot more software tweaking than she's comfortable with to even try. ]

I'm not sure. How human are we talking?

[use_everything]

Challenging, but not impossible. That's hard to quantify, really.

[failureisntachoice]

Hard to quantify and hard to do. It's require me screwing with my software and I don't know how to fix anything that might break.

[use_everything]

[He looks up from the game, frowning.]

Absolutely not, then. I would not have you harm yourself.

[failureisntachoice]

Wasn't planning on it. It's not as easy as shutting down a few processes when that's how your brain functions.

[use_everything]

That's.. good to know. I have some difficulty conceptualizing it, I confess.

[failureisntachoice]

[ She shrugs. ]

It's hard for me too since it's how I always think. Which means we should keep the bets low-stakes then.

[use_everything]

[He considers the board and the available avenues. It's bleak but possible.]

Fair, certainly. If I win, I get to make up the board rule for the next round.

[failureisntachoice]

Are we doing custom rules now? I thought we were playing a clean game, unlike the other set-up you had with Miles.

[use_everything]

There's no such thing as a clean game. But still, I can think of something else.

[failureisntachoice]

By 'clean' I meant one without any convoluted rules. I already wasted space memorizing the last set.

[use_everything]

[He opens a hand, palm up.]

Which were you thinking to set your stakes as?

[failureisntachoice]

If a good massage is off the table then drinks delivered to me an entire afternoon. Wearing that apron of yours from the cafe.

[use_everything]

A massage does tend to be particularly intimate. Hardly betting material.

... I do believe those around me have gotten more interest out of my employment than I have.

Very well, I accept, terms reversed if I win.

[failureisntachoice]

I don't count a shoulder massage to be that intimate, but fine.

This'll do. [ Particularly since she'd like this first round to figure out his go-to strategies for winning. ]