( GAME ) post-mortem.

[cruelest]

[ somewhere, wherever a human by the name of Yuri Lowell might be, a black cat creeps out from the shadows. It lifts its head high, green eyes blinking once before it heads straight towards the person it's supposed to find.

When it reaches him, it stops and meows, just once.

A familiar glowing shard hangs from a chain around its neck. ]

Comments

[second_star]

[ Stray cats weren't uncommon in the streets of the lower quarter. His attention caught by the meow, he looked down, bending over to pet the cat. ]

Hey, don't come to me, I'm hungry too-- [ He stopped abruptly, his hands just a few inches from the cat. The gleam of a shard hanging around the neck of the cat caught his eye, and the exasperated look on his face quickly changed into an expression of seriousness.

He instantly recognized it. ]

What, witches don't just say "hey" like normal people?

[cruelest]

[ the cat simply lowers its head, the chain slipping off to land in front of it. Sitting down on its haunches, it stares up at Yuri with an expectant look.

Answer: no. ]

[second_star]

[ It didn't take a genius to figure out what the cat (and subsequently, the witch who sent it) wanted from him...Well, he could afford to kill some time. Might as well see what the hell she'd be doing this for. ]

...Your master really needs to get out more. [ He said with a sigh, before grabbing the shard in his hand. ]

[cruelest]

[ the cat bares its teeth at Yuri's words. Whether it's a smile or a snarl might be difficult to decipher, because it's at that precise moment that the world goes dark and starts breaking apart.

When it comes together again, the scenery has changed. The room isn't the grandiose one in the City of Books, nor is it the hazy one of Rokkenjima's metaworld. No, it's much plainer — white walls, white floors, a few windows looking out into a black sky dotted with stars. In the center, Bernkastel sits at a small table. There is a folded chessboard in front of her.

She looks over at Yuri when he appears, eyebrows raised slightly. ]

... You sure are prompt. Did you even spend a moment wondering if you might be walking into a trap?

[second_star]

[ She had a point there. Not that he was worried about that. He shook his head.

Nah. But I've gone through worse. [ Besides, a little voice in the back of his head told him ignoring her would have probably been the less agreeable of the two choices. ]

[ This room was different than any he had seen in the videos, or even in other visits. Slowly, he made his way to the center table. ]

...A game? [ He looked to her with a curious expression. ] A new one or something?

[cruelest]

[ worse...? Have you? For a second, Bernkastel contemplates show Yuri just how far the depths of that word extended, but the thought passes by with only a wry twist of her lips to show for it. Of course, she was fickle, yet not so much that she would rush headlong into what could end in more boredom. ]

An old one. [ she makes a small sweeping gesture. The chessboard rises and starts to spin, unfolding itself with a quiet snap and then drifting back down onto the table. ] However, it will probably be new to you.

[ and if that isn't plain enough, the other chair materializing on the other side of the table should do it, right? ]

[second_star]

[ He eyed the game, more out of curiosity than suspicion. So a game they've already gone through, but not one he'd seen? With the chair materializing, he figured he had no choice but to sit down and see what she had in store for him. There was a pause, before he sat, crossing his arms in front of him. ]

Gonna try to get me to solve it or something? [ It didn't sound like a bad way to kill time, really. ]

[cruelest]

[ > implying that you have a choice, Yuri. ]

Something like that. Actually, I'm interested in seeing how someone with your perspective might go about it, even if you end up failing.

THAT ICON...

[second_star]

[ ...He didn't like how that sounded...Nothing to lose though. ]

...Alright, let's get to it, then. [ He stared intently at the chessboard. How did this even work again...? ]

one of her many passive-aggressive faces :)

[cruelest]

[ her eyes narrow. Bernkastel doesn't get it, the flippant way he's acting about all this. If she were in his place, she definitely wouldn't agree that easily. Not without having a few important questions answered to her satisfaction first. ]

... Are you sure? You've already seen what effects a witch's game might have on its human participants. Is it really okay for you to just jump in blindly?