GM : Checkmate

3/7/2006

05:43 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waxing Half Moon phase (53% full).
It is currently 17:34 Pacific Time on Tue Mar 7 2006.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is mostly sunny today. The temperature is 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the southwest at 14 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.11 and rising, and the relative humidity is 60 percent. The dewpoint is 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degrees Celsius.)

Farmhouse: Kitchen and Dining Room
Homey is the first word to come to mind when looking at the farmhouse's kitchen. Dark, wood-paneled wainscoting covers the walls to about waist height, dark beige wallpaper continuing to the ceiling. Twin refrigerators occupy the north wall, facing the large six-burner stove on the south. The kitchen counter runs the length of the eastern wall, broken only by the double-basin sink. Cabinets run above and below the counter and a twin-pane window is set in the wall above the sink. A small pantry is set into an alcove alongside the refrigerators, presumably holding the deep freezer as well as shelves of dry goods.
Some twelve feet above the floor, a large chandelier hangs from the ceiling, lighting the dining room and casting long shadows over the bar to the kitchen. A long table occupies the center of the dining room, three chairs setting along each side, and one on each end. On the west wall, a large window looks out on the trees alongside the western pasture. Set into the north wall is a large cabinet, its glass doors closed on shelves containing a full compliment of fine china and glassware as well as a few decorative nicknacks. On the east, a wide bar separates the dining room from the kitchen.
An opening in the southern wall allows passage to the front entryway of the house, while a sliding glass door in the kitchen opens to a clearing behind the house.
Contents:
Cole
Vera
Obvious exits:
Hallway/Living Room  Back Door  

[Vera pages to the room: Vera and Cole plan to hold a game of 'Drinking Chess' to determine who gets Christopher IC. Players will play chess and every time they loose a piece, take a swig of hard liquor, which will be poured from a single bottle. They will both take a shot for every 10minutes that pass without a piece being lost. This should have been established previously and they are meeting at a designated time for the Challenge. Cole is allowed to bring his own booze, so long as the bottle is sealed. | Vera pages to the room: Limited rules: No Gifts, booze must be real. One looses when they either puke, fall out of their chair, loose the game, or concede defeat.]

Vera is seated at the farmhouse table, leaning back in one of the chairs and with her eyes closed.

There. On the stairs, the sounds of someone approaching. Cole comes down from his room at the top of the stairs, an ornate-looking board clasped under one arm. In his other hand, he holds a bottle of whiskey, stoppered and sealed. "Good evening, Vera-rhya." The words are polite enough, even if one can't ignore the tension in his voice.

Vera cracks open an eye and looks over at the Fianna, a soft grunt is emitted and she sits up straighter. "Good evening Cole."

Cole pulls up a chair at the table, setting down both objects. "Hope whiskey sits well with you. Best stuff I had on hand at short notice. Brought the board, too." He wordlessly moves to open the case and place the pieces on the board. They're hand-crafted and likely unique, made of copper and bronze. The 'black' team bears an unmistakeable Roman centurion motif, while the 'white' copper pieces are cast in the form of ancient Celts.

Vera's eyebrows lift at the sight of the chess board. "oh my, this is lovely. Wherever did you get it?" The Adren leans forward, picking up some of the pieces and turning them over in her hand. "Which side do you wish to be?"

Cole's eyes move over the board. There's pride in his tone when he responds. "Twist, my kinfolk made it as a gift when he moved here. I'll take the white side, thank you."

"Ah yes, that man has great skill." Vera begins setting up her side of the board. "That man is a credit to your Tribe."

Cole follows suit, an easy smile appearing. "I'll let him know you said as much. He's as true a friend as you could ask for."

Vera finishes setting her side of the chess board and stands, retrieving two shot glasses from the counter, one of which she hands over to the Fianna. She also brings out a small timer. "We should hit the reset button on this every time a piece is lost."

Poe comes in from outside, sweaty and slightly gross, a leaf or two sticking to his chest and belly. He raises his brows as he sees those gathered, and greets, "collective -rhyas. What's going on...?"

Cole takes his glass and nods. "Yeah, sounds good to me." He sets the glass aside for the moment, gesturing to the bottle. "Sealed, just like you specified." He reaches out and cracks the cap with flourish, setting the bottle back down. "Big meal recently," he inquires of his Alpha, raising one brow ever so slightly. When Poe enters, he clears his throat. "A Challenge," he answers.

Vera smirks at the question, real amusement touching her eyes. "It is never wise to drink on an empty stomach."

Cole ducks his head, lifting a hand in a half-salute. "I'm glad to see the Fianna aren't the only ones who know a thing or two about drinking," he comments as he takes his first move. A pawn slides forward the two spaces.

Poe pulls up a chair that isn't being used and sits on it a little ways away. "Mind if I watch?" he asks, as he leans in, looking quite facinated. "What're you challenging for...?"

Vera runs her finger across her pawns, eventually selecting one to the right of a bishop. The piece slides forward two spaces.

Cole shakes his head. "Sit if you like. Should get...entertaining after a while." He considers Vera's move for a moment and smiles, making his own. "Challenging over whether Christopher will stay in the Shadow Lords, or join the Fianna."

Vera selects her Bishop this time, allowing it to slide free of the pawns' confines. "Twist mentioned to me that he plans to court one of your cubs, once she is Cliath. I certainly hope that union bears fruit for your Tribe. There are far to few of us these days."

Poe rests his chin on his arms on the back of the chair, and gives an, "Oh." and then pauses, looking at Vera, "....aw man, they got Kin lookin' for 'em already?" he asks, "I wish I had somebody waiting for me to Cliath like that." he says, wistfully.

Cole raises a brow. "He hadn't mentioned this to me. Huh. That's strange." It's impossible to tell whether that pleases or displeases him, from his expression. "Can't say I'd mind some Fianna bairns around, honestly." He shrugs to Poe. "Happens, sometimes. This is the first time we've really had an eligible pair for the tribe around in a while, actually."

From the very start, there is a line between experienced and not so much so. The game proceeds a few moves in, with the Shadow Lord taking her time to calculate. The Fianna elder in contrast, doesn't seem so used to the game. He takes long stretches to make his own moves. Slow though they are, it isn't long before Vera is the first to take a white piece off the board. Bishop takes pawn. The timer whirrs away, counting down.

Vera shrugs. "Perhaps I was mistaken, but I was certain he expressed and interest in Sophie," Vera continues and moves a pawn to flank her Bishop.

The front door of the farmhouse opens, and Tu slips in quietly. He glances around, and takes a spot near the back so as not to disturb the proceedings.

Cole scowls down at the board as a piece is removed, as if it's responsible for the slipup. "No doubt," he responds. "Just hasn't talked to me about it yet, is all. Maybe I'm 'the parents' in all this. The person he doesn't want to talk to until he's sure, or something." He pours himself a shot, lifting it toward his opponent. "To your health." The shot disappears down his throat, and the glass clinks on the table. He doesn't notice Tu's entrance, so fixed is he on the game. He takes a deep breath and after a long moment's concentration, makes his next move.

Vera smiles. "Ah well, at least he is showing an interest in your own Tribe. Have you met Cristofer yet?" Vera inquires, as her Tower slides across the board.

Poe is watching the game, brows arching as Cole takes the first drink. He's on a chair close to them, but not too close, and falls silent after his previous questions.

Cole reaches out to reset the timer. Then he's pushing a piece forward toward a perceived opening. "Quiet man? Kinfolk to the Lords and apparently the Silver Fangs? Just once, briefly. He was here to talk to you, I think."

The front door opens and in comes Dillen. The people that are assembled certainly grab his attention and he stops to watch. "Chess?" He remarks, raising a brow to this. "Damn Fianna." It's clearly a jab towards Cole. If anyone knew them, the two are friends and this is a running gag.

Not before long, though the Shadow Lord looks to be dominating by strategy and experience, Cole seems to be holding up. Finally, one of his white knights takes down a valuable piece - Vera's right side rook that had been slid out previously.

Vera grimaces, then pours herself a drink and slings it back. Seems that having lived with a Sept on Bone Gnawers for a number of years is finally paying off. "That is correct, he was that polite fellow," Vera murmurs, as she considers her next move, eyes perhaps a little unfocused. "Seems he decided to involve himself with an Anruth and name her is Mate, although she is not a Silver Fang." This time, the Adren moves her Queen. "Or a Shadow Lord, for what little that matters. Clemency is quite cross with him and the object of his attention."

Poe looks up as Dillen enters, and asks him suddenly, "Uh, Dillen-rhya, can we talk...?"

Tu glances towards Dillen as he arrives, but the game recaptures his interest. He smirks when he sees Vera take a drink, figuring out the rules of the game.

Cole, to his credit, keeps his smile under tight wraps when Vera's piece is taken. He also doesn't look away when Dillen enters and speaks. "Bonehead Get," he quips back. "Sit down. Might learn something." Vera's comment gets a grimace. "What's her name, if you don't mind my asksing?" It's then that Tu is noticed. He offers the Walker a silent grin of welcome. At the moment, the shots he's taken seem to do little more than add a bit of color to his cheeks.

Dillen looks to the voice and nods at Poe. "Surely." And as he walks by Cole he gives the Fianna a slight rap on the head with his hand. "Can't learn anything from a damn Fianna." He's grinning all the time. "Look out for her queen!" He yells suddenly, obviously full of shit.

Vera gives her head a light shake, then holds still for a careful moment. "Afraid not. I am leaving her up to Clemency for now, although I have no intentions of allowing a Kinfolk poaching /Philodox/ into this Sept. We do not need that kind of Garou here." Another piece is moved after careful consideration.

Poe follows Dillen and gestures, "Out the back? I don't want to interrupt the others..." he murmurs, with a half-smile.

Cole frowns. "Makes sense," he agrees. Dillen gets a grunt and a hint of a smile. "Challenge going on. Watch your hand or lose it prematurely, barrel-bumper."

Not before long, the timer dings with the passage of ten minutes passing. The white side has less pieces than black, clearly.

Tu nods to Cole, when he finally catches his eye, and smiles broadly. Then, for good measure, adds a thumbs up for the Fianna.

Vera fills her shot glass and raises it to the Fianna with a slightly lopsided smile, before sucking it back.

Cole echoes Vera's movements, lifting the filled glass to her in salute. In a probably familiar scene, the spirits disappear. "Ahh. Pleasant way to spend the night, eh?"

Dillen nods to Poe and gestures to the kitchen and out the back door of the farmhouse. "Barrel-bumper? That all you could come up with?" And then he's out the back door.

Vera shrugs. "I have not done this since I spent time in Mexico, killing leeches. Having a 'few' drinks with Rat's-Tail was about the only way to make him agree to things sometimes." Another piece is moved.

The timer is reset to continue its countdown. The Shadow Lord finds herself being blocked from any clear strategy, if simply because Cole's moves are not as predictable as an experienced chess player's. Still, Cole has more alcohol in him than her, and his face is looking not all unlike a cherry tomato.

Cole smiles genially. "I've heard stories about those times. Some are pretty hard to credit, but my sources are...pretty reliable. Impressive. Rat's-Tail an old packmate?" He looks down at the board, and makes his next move. Tu's thumbs-up gets a wide grin.

Vera scowls to herself and sets out a series of moves. To which, if she is not stopped, will allow Cole to take her Queen, but allow Vera to put the Fianna in checkmate with the use of her remaining Tower. "No. Anthro Ahroun, Alpha of a Bone Gnawer Sept down there. Drunken annoyance most of the time, but he knew his stuff when it came to planning attacks and the Gnawers there adored him."

Cole scowls as well, looking down at the board as if it might have betrayed him by bringing him to this state. His eyes flick over the board and he finally chooses to play defensively. The oh-so-tempting queen is left alone for the moment, in favor of the best defense he can cobble together.

Tu searches the kitchen for something to drink, returning with a glass of water in a jelly-jar glass.

Vera decides to leave her two 'trap pieces' in play and to take some risks. She has more pieces then he does and if she trades one for one, he will run out of defenders eventually.

The game looks to be missing a few pieces, with more lined up alongside the board - more white than black. The bottle is about halfway gone. The Shadow Lord's pieces remain largely moved around. Cole's side looks like it could very well be in danger. But, despite the stuffed state of the Shadow Lord, the pieces are not quite as sharp to her eyes as before.

Cole likely realizes the peril he's in, in sheer terms of his lack of pieces taken. He decides, then, to play towards his strengths. He ventures a piece forward to try and take a piece of lesser importance to his Alpha. To attempt to force further shots on her.

Vera closes her eyes and takes a moment to try and steady her forces, before proceeding with another move.

Cole shifts slightly on the seat before he realizes what he's doing. He takes a long, steadying breath in through his nostrils and concentrates. A finger that trembles slightly is pushed forward, moving another piece in the ongoing battle.

Vera moves out a pawn this time, laying the same trap as before, but with a less powerful piece as bait. At least, she thinks that the trap is properly set.

Another ten minutes pass with just a couple moves placed between the two. The timer forces the pair to take another drink. Vera's hand grows a bit unsteady when reaching for the glass, but only minutely so. Cole's face is redder than the tomato from before now, all up in his ears and cheeks. One can only imagine the swirling feeling inside, plus the churning of his alcohol filled gut, isn't sitting so well even for the young Fianna. Just as he almost unthinkingly reaches out for a pawn to move forward and take the bait, his hand freezes. His eyes are down on the board, staring at the layout for a long time. Then his hand retracts, as his expressions move towards a very funny mixture of nausea and focus.

Vera isn't looking all that well at this stage herself and a hand moves to her stomach area, pressing gently against it.

Cole's expression certainly is red. But for a moment, just a moment, it pales out with the roiling, gurgling feeling trying to make itself dominant in the mental landscape. Then color rushes back in, and his eyes shut. His features scrunch up, seemingly in concentration. His eyes flicker beneath their lids. Almost as if a student is looking for the answer to a question on an exam that is stubbornly stuck somewhere in the memory.

Vera eyes the Fianna worriedly, eyes lacking any of their normal focus.

Cristofer wanders into the kitchen from the hallway, a nervious or perhaps more concerned expression on his face.

Almost another ten minutes. About half a minute in towards the next ding for the shot, the Fianna finally sits up. For just that moment as eyes meet, the Shadow Lord can see in the Fianna's a clarity that pierces the fog of drunkenness. The shaky hand from before reaches out again, this time not quite as much, but steadier in its movement towards a neglected white knight that somehow escaped the fray of black invasion. The hand moves, and chess piece bumps against piece to move it out of the way. The trap is sprung... but from a different angle. The alpha's Queen is taken away, but even more so, there is a crucial turn of the tide. The Fianna's words, slurred though they are, says it all. "Check."

Tu is quietly watching the game.

"Fuck!" Vera blurts out, nearly falling out of her seat as she attempts to stand in her drunken state. The Adren can't quite hide the snarl on her face, as she scrambles to draw together her scattered sense. Hopefully to either protect her King, or put the Fianna's in Check Mate.

Cole's expression is one of almost-surprise for a flicker in time. And then it settles to an almost...relaxed one. As if he's letting whatever clarity he's found flow, rather than trying to force it. His hand moves with renewed confidence. He's by no means what one might call sober as a judge, but he's got a credible sense of what's going on.

Cristofer furrows his brow in confusion, taken a little a back by Vera's harsh language, but knows better than to ask about it, and simply stalks his way over to the fridge and fetches himself a bottle of water.

Vera blinks suddenly in surprise, then seems to remember she needs to take a drink. Filling up her glass, she slugs back yet another shot.

Cole watches as Vera takes another shot, the very corner of his mouth twitching as if caught in a tic. Cristofer gets a reserved nod. Perhaps more to still the feeling of imbalance rather than any real chill of emotion.

Perhaps standing wasn't the best of ideas, as added pressure pushes down on the lower gut, and the sick feeling of peril takes over the Shadow Lord's mind for just a moment. Then, with a forced grimace of focus, she manages to push down that renewed wave of nastiness threatening to boil out. The chess game is in its endgame stage. The Black King is in danger, not just from a white knight, but trapped by its own pawns. The Shadow Lord has to concentrate hard to find a way out. A means of escape. There, one. Another move or two afterwards, and it's clearer now that the Fianna has found some kind of strategy. But the Shadow Lord is no fool herself, and even under all the alcohol's influence, she puts up a defense. Hasty. The Fianna's hand moves again, with purpose. Once again, she hears the ever ominous word: "Check."

Vera carefully sits back down in her seat, waiting for the wave of nausea to pass before making another move.

Cristofer carefully sips his water, with a great deal of concern etched upon his face but not over the results of the game, but rather the effect it's having on the contestents.

Cole looks up to meet Vera's gaze briefly. There's a flickering of something on his face, and then he simply nods. "You're the most challenging player I've ever faced," he comments, slurring slightly. He pushes another piece forward to counter Vera's latest move.

Tu leans in to Cristofer. "He says that to everyone he plays", the Walker points out.

Once again, the pieces move. Vera's successful at dodging another dangerous situation, and a small 'flurry' of piece removal occurs as the Fianna switches from attacking and unseating the king to the removal of the surrounding defenders. Vera puts up a great front. There is a moment when the White Queen is taken away /and/ the White King is put in check, a moment of triumph for the ragabash. Cole must consider the situation carefully, and another ten minutes pass before he actually takes his drink, and pushes his king away from danger. Shot by shot, the pieces are removed until finally all that is left are the two kings, the white's rookside pawn, and the closely defending black knight.

To note, the whiskey bottle is in its last dregs.

Cristofer sighs deeply and shakes his head disapprovingly.

Vera squints at the bottle for a moment. "Vodka by the sink," she slurs, eye leaving the bottle, only to focus on the board.

Cole frowns as the whiskey seems to be running out. "Could...someone else get it? Tu, bud?" He turns back to the board, and his expression grows steely.

Tu glances in the direction of the sink, and heads to retrieve the bottle, relieving the two players from the need to actually walk. He returns, placing the bottle on the table, taking a moment to open it and wipe off the neck of the bottle. "Here", he says simply.

After a moment to open the Vodka bottle, the situation continues to wobble between the edge of life and death for the kings. Instead of the burn of whiskey being tossed down, it's vodka that forces the thick tongues to consume slowly. It burns a slow burn. Then it's white's turn. The lone pawn pushes forth, and the black king moves for it. It keeps pushing, and black and white do an intricate dance. But then, the pawn moves /past/ the black king and knight, reaching the end of the board. The Fianna's move baffles the Shadow Lord. Then he reaches over to pluck up his queen from the graveyard and swaps it out with the pawn. "Check..." he says slowly, and then finishes with "... mate." And indeed, once Vera can finally see, the dark king, despite having the entire board for running... can go nowhere.

Dillen makes his way back into the farmhouse and looks down at the board. "Someone is out for it." He looks between the two. "Who should I congratulate?" He says with a slight chuckle.

"Oh fucking hell," Vera begins to swear, then launches into a tirade that would put most Bone Gnawers to shame. Her swearing is creative, vocal, and shifts through three different languages. Possibly four.

Cole sits there, mute. He looks bereft for a moment, as if suddenly lacking the clarity he had a moment before. It takes a long, long moment for the meaning behind Vera's swearing to sink in. Wobbling slightly in his seat, he turns to look at Dillen. It takes a time to focus on his friend. "Me." That simple word is nonetheless fuzzy around the corners. "Good game," he responds to Vera, when the courtesy finally reaches his mind.

Dillen places a hand on Cole's shoulder and cannot help but chuckle at the string of swears from Vera. "Damn Fianna." He shakes his head. "Wish I had been here to see it all but I had to tell the story of the Get to Poe."

Vera finally brings the swearing to a halt and is about to offer Cole her hand, when a look of extreme distress comes over her face. Instead of taking Cole's hand, she flees the table. Knocking her chair back in the process as she scrambles for the sink. The sound of retching quickly follows as the Sept Alpha empties her stomach contents into the sink.

Tu wanders over, and rights the chair Vera knocked down, then offers Cole a smile. "Congratulations", he says. "I thought she had you there , for a little while."

Cole looks suddenly more grey than red as Dillen lays a hand on his shoulder. That jostle set him off. He, too, knocks his chair over. There's something akin to a mumbled 'thanks' to his friends, or perhaps that's simply a garbled profanity. The sliding door rattles in its tracks, and the Fianna chooses a rather less sanitary place to void his stomach. Namely, the ground a few feet outside.

Dillen looks between the two that have vacated their seats. He gets a whiff of what is going on and wrinkles up his face. "A true ending to a Damn Fianna challenge." He shakes his head. "Whatever happened to a good fight?"

Vera finishes vomiting and runs the water, washing the vomit down the sink. She scoops up some of the water streaming from the tap and uses it to wash out her mouth. "Ugg."

Still looking non too well, Vera starts to make her way toward the bathroom upstairs.

From the outside, there's a long groan and an acrid tang. The apparent victor fuzzily pushes himself up. He stumbles inside to lean against the counter, looking pale as a sheet. It's then that his features tighten again. "MotheruhGaia!" He unsteadily makes his quickest possible exit up the stairs and to the lavatories.

Vera blinks blearily as the Fianna rushes past her.

Of course, when the Alpha heads toward the bathroom, the lessers are forced to fend for themselves. Cole, amazingly enough, gives way and makes his way back over his old path. Toward the kitchen door.

Dillen moves over to a chair and flops down in it. "This is rich. Didn't know I got entertainment this evening." He props his feet up and look between the two.

The just opened vodka bottle remains on the table, though the whiskey bottle has been knocked down. Luckily it's empty save for a drop. Nothing said for the rush for the bathroom and aborted efforts. But, the Call of Gaia is fierce and demanding indeed.

Vera seems to appreciate this and offers Cole an unsteady smile, before heading up the stairs.

Dillen pauses, looking at the bottle of vodka. He looks both ways and then moves to intercept it before it falls, of course. Plus the fact that he seems to start draining the bottle... Just in case it gets knocked over.

It is, delicately put, a long time before Cole returns, shirt untucked from his pants. The cold air seems to have the slightest of rejuvenating effect on the Fianna. "Jesus. Christ."

Vera seems to be feeling better when she returns as well, having used the facilities and spent time in Glabro, until the feeling is nausea passed. Steadier and feeling far less ill now, she heads into the kitchen and offers Cole her hand. "Congratulations. Christopher is now of the Fianna and I rescind all claim on him."

Dillen lifts the bottle and offers a sip to each of them. "No?" He says, reclaiming his hold on the bottle and sipping at it again with a smirk on his face.

Cole takes the hand offered to him, giving it a firm shake. Perhaps he had the same idea as Vera, because while he's still ruffled, he's by no means falling over. "Thank you, Vera-rhya. I'll make sure he becomes a credit to the tribe." Cole turns his head after a moment, glaring at Dillen for a long moment. "No. Thanks."

Tu wanders over and claps Cole on the shoulder. "Good job", he says again. "You won the right to teach another cub."

Vera nods. "He shows a lot of potential," she says, taking her hand back. "Abraxas has been teaching him how to fight and he has already show a lot of progress. I will have the lessons stopped."

Dillen remains quiet, sipping the bottle of vodka. Much can be learned while quiet, listening...

Cole gives Tu a wan grin. "Thanks, man. An honor worth fighting for." He looks to Vera. "Thank you," he replies once more. "I will have to talk to him to see exactly where he is in his learning. Then I'll see what I can do about finding Ahrouns to teach him more than the basics."

Vera smirks, face still a little green around the edges. "I am impressed. While I have not played chess in a few years, I was always considered to be quite good at it."

Tu nods to the Alpha, and starts to make his way out of the farmhouse, and back to the city.

Cole offers a farewell to his friend, before responding to Vera. "Yeah, well. I've been playing alot more recently, since Twist's gift. I guess that helped. Picturing your pieces as the Romans and mine as family didn't hurt, either. I wouldn't trust my luck to another game, though."

Vera smirks. "Sorry about the swearing. I do not do so well, so far into drink."

Dillen lifts the bottle aloft, "Then I should get this one out of here." As he rises up and heads for the door. "If you happen to see Kenneth... Tell him I am looking for him." He heads out and into the night unless he is stopped.

Cole shakes his head, chuckling. "Don't worry about it. You should hear me when I get into it, myself." Dillen gets a nod. "I'll tell him. Try not to ransack any villages on your way out."

Vera scowls as Dillen prepares to leave. "I can find him with a Gift if needed, Dillen."

Dillen bows his head to Vera. "Thank you, Vera-Rhya. I shall keep that in mind. Right now... he needs the friend more than the help the gift would give me." He nods to himself and heads back out.

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