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Post by Kalaboo on Feb 18, 2019 16:14:23 GMT -6
Kept awake until morning by heart palpitations, Kalabas put aside work to treat himself with a truly decadent pot pie slice. As he waited for the microwave’s bell to announce that second breakfast was ready he perused the fridge door, riddled with drawings and photos as it was he hoped to find something new, a detail worth mulling over to pass time. Crooked yet stubbornly pinned under a rusting banana-shaped magnet was a photo of Kalabas rehearsing poses with the Roaring Twenties… Whatever had happened to them? The Duke had dissolved his honor guard after he had surpassed their collective might and kept in touch with none, too immersed in his own misadventures to even consider they were living theirs. He ignored the beeping machine as he rifled through the layers and layers of memories, those where men who had served under him were present were put away in a shoe box. They deserved a more fitting memorial, and they would received it once Kalabas returned to the outpost. The microwave beeped its last and the Duke turned, bumping into the fridge. Slowly, softly, a graceful sheet of paper landed on his saibaman slippers. With an annoyed sigh he picked it up and flipped it over. In a instant, his mood was substantially bettered.
 When was this made? It wasn't from before her capture, he could tell because it actually resembled someone - himself! That is not to say that Belle's past art-pieces weren't also of merit, even if her uncle greatly exaggerated his love for crayon scratches whenever he was gifted heaps upon heaps of the stuff, that is to say every week... 'This whelp will be the death of me.' he thought, an amused smile squeezing some life into his tired face. These oddities of hers, unsaiyan as they were, were also sorely missed by the Duke. But she was back now, and with her, the drawings and hugs and pouts. He placed the shoe box on the table and over it his new favorite drawing, and next to them his pot pie slice. His sleepless weary eyes froze, expectant, on the saiyan cuckoo clock - thus called for having a mighty granite oozaru instead of a weak pinewood cuckoo. Any time now it would begin its charming call... "RAWR!!-RAWR!!-RAWR!!-RAWR!!"
"Belle! Breakfast time!"
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Post by Belle on Feb 22, 2019 12:26:42 GMT -6
Belle’s PL: 100
In her room, Belle snoozed the morning away peacefully, deaf to the world. She was snugly bundled in nice soft blankets with a cute pink canopy hanging over her bed. In her arms, she clutched her most precious possession Fluffy the plush Oozaru and breathed softly into its plush fur. When Oozaru clock chimed with its characteristic roars, Belle barely stirred. It was only when her uncle’s voice called out did she start to awaken. Blinking with bleary eyes, Belle sat up slowly and blinked, eventually deciding that it was much too bright to have her eyes open. Her head was foggy, and she really didn’t remember where she was or what had happened. She’d had a nice dream. One where Uncle Kala came to take her home. With a tiny sigh, she pushed the dream to the back of her mind. That was the way to deal with them, she had learned. If she just dwelled on it, she might cry, and she had to keep a stiff upper lip around the Fleet. She would be strong! He’d come for her one day, she just had to stay strong. Speaking of which, she had thought of her first activity for the day. Flopping off her bed with all the grace of a tranquilized Oozaru, Belle reached out and stuck her hand under her bed. She needed to practice for when Mister Lord Chill came to challenge her for their rematch. Ever since she had won the first time, she was determined to keep that winning streak up. She was undefeated since she had decided to turn the tables on him. She even had a new strategy to throw him for a loop today. Belle giggled to herself mischievously. She couldn’t wait to see his face when she won! Well, if she could ever find the space chess board. Where’d it go? Reluctantly opening her eyes to search instead of blindly groping around with her hand, Belle was surprised to see that the underside of the bed was empty. What? But she hid all sorts of stuff under there. Sitting up, Belle glanced around to see a room that she didn’t immediately recognize. Where…? Had they moved her overnight? To a different camp? Confused, she glanced down at Snowflake, her Arcosian plushie only to find that it was Fluffy instead. But… she had lost Fluffy back on Namek. Wait. Slowly, Belle’s eyes widened as she realized what was going on. She remembered! Uncle Kala has rescued her! So had Tarch and Dullahan and others. She had only been with Uncle Kala a little while since then… Belle smiled to herself. Maybe she could trounce her uncle at space chess. If they had a board to play with. Hopping to her feet, she dusted off her little pink nightgown and creeped down to the kitchen. She peeked inside and spotted her uncle almost immediately. She sniffled to hold back some happy tears. She couldn’t really help it. A mischievous thought crossed her mind, making her smile a little crooked. Jumping out from her little hiding spot, Belle posed liked a stomping Oozaru. “Boo! Rawr!”
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Post by Kalaboo on Feb 25, 2019 10:58:37 GMT -6
The Duke’s fork made short work of the pie’s crust, excavating a thick juicy chunk of lamb topped by gravy-drenched green beans and pea mash. As per accordance to the rules of saiyan etiquette the genuine silverware piece was raised to the level of his mouth and gently placed inside, between the salivating tongue and the roof of his mouth… Sudden stomps sounded all around him, echoing from the marble walls and the stained glass windows. Kalabas nearly stabbed himself in the gums as he threw the fork at the source of the noise, missing the mark so enormously that the stone oozaru was the one to be shattered into pieces. With a swipe of his massive tail Kalabas parted the blinds on the windows behind him, shedding kaleidoscopic light on his tiny tormentor. He looked furious, more than the red and black oozarus that adorned the window…
It was but a trick of the light. Feeling stuffy Kalabas opened the window, revealing a slightly annoyed semblance lacking the slightest trace of anger. “Seems to me Admiral Hardrock did not live up to his namesake.” he joked, a bit hoarse. Kalabas stood up to fetch the broom and dustpan by the corner of the kitchen, giving Belle a pat while on the way and a second one while returning. With the remains thrown to the trash Kalabas went on to fetch something for Belle to drink. He opened the fridge and saw squeezed between two crates of aromatic wine a half-forgotten jug of milk, somehow yet to be expired. The tiny miracle brought a noticeable chirpy relief to the uncle as he slammed the jug on the table quite proudly “May I interest the mademoiselle in a glass of milk?” he quickly filled her four flute glasses to the brim “This should be enough…” He filled a fifth one, just to be on the safe side.
Kalabas had an easier time finding food for Belle to eat. He was certain that she was old enough to eat most of what he could. In but a minute a tray of dates, a bowl of pork rinds, a yogurt lacking any calories and flavor, and the rest of the pot pie all found their way into the table, surrounding Belle like a great wall of overly expensive bachelor food. “Take what you will.” he said as he sat her on a grown people chair.
From the opposite side of the table Kalabas hurried to finish his meal, arm stretched across the table, fleshy hand holding Belle’s tiny paw. His gaze was gentle “How are you?” but his words firm. There was a fear underlying them, that he stifled as best as he could. Even if on accident, Kalabas knew Belle would be able to pick up on it if he thought about it any further. His lips were shut stiff and his tears held, he was betrayed by his quivering arm, his tightening grip. “I missed you a lot.”
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Post by Belle on Feb 25, 2019 11:59:47 GMT -6
Belle was expecting maybe her uncle would jump a little bit. She was not expecting their clock, Admiral Hardrock, to get utterly annihilated by a fork. Ducking down with a squeak and covering her head, she peeked out as she was showered with Hardrock dust. She coughed once or twice and stood up as her uncle gave her little pats on the head as he went to clean up the mess. She dusted herself off until she was mostly clean. Some white dust still lingered in her hair, making her look like some tiny old lady.
Scurrying over to his side when he retrieved the milk from the fridge, she happily watched each little glass full up with the white liquid. Her little tail waved back and forth as she watched. She needed to drink a lot of milk so that she could get big and strong. Smiling as he lifted her onto a grown up chair, she dug into the pot pie first, trying to eat with some etiquette. It was less of a hassle than it had been when she was initially learned. Mister Lord Chill had been a pretty strict teacher whenever she ate in front of him. She was lucky to even eat anything those days.
Finishing off two of the glasses of milk, Belle gave her uncle’s hand a squeeze as she held it, glancing up when he spoke to her. She smiled at him and gave his hand another happy squeeze.
“I’m good! I feel a little sleepy still, but I’m okay.”
After a moment or two of looking at her uncle, Belle caught on that something was wrong. It was in his voice but also in his aura. Her happy air faltered as she felt her chest tighten. She felt hot tears in her eyes. She flew across the table and into her uncle’s arms, taking a little care not to knock anything over. She hugged him tightly not wanting to let go as she finally released all the tears that she’d kept pent up inside during her captivity.
“I missed you so much…!”
She’d been scared. So scared. It hadn’t all been bad, but it wasn’t all good either. But she was home now. Really home. It still didn’t feel real. She just kept holding to her uncle right before looking up at him with a little smile.
“But… I knew you would come for me! I waited so good!”
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Post by Kalaboo on Mar 1, 2019 21:26:06 GMT -6
Kalabas noticed with some surprise just how better Belle’s table manners had become, unlike her sudden competence at drawing this skill could not be chalked up to age - someone had to show her how not to eat like one of those beasts she had for an adoptive family, but who? He ran through his head the names and faces of as many fleetmen as he could recall, of them he dismissed first before anyone else his much detested Snowflake, such a wretched vile thing would be incapable of caring for anyone but himself, he’d sooner have Belle for dinner than teach her the difference between a relish fork and a salad fork.
Belle squeezed his hand and brought her uncle to the present. He, Kalabas Strongbone, draped in typical earthling sleepwear, sat by a quaint little table decorated with the most varied of foodstuffs, and for company he had the purest little creature he knew, related to him by blood and his to protect regardless of limb loss or peril. The scene felt surreal, dizzying yet peaceful, he was surprised by how fast time had passed, how the child’s disappearance had affected him, how during those days and weeks and months he did not live but merely exist lost to the world.
Again Kalabas was caught unprepared. Belle jumped over the table and ran to her uncle’s open arms - careful not to kick any food or porcelain, what a blessing of a child! She weighed nothing yet anchored Kalabas to his seat, hugging him whole. Her tears felt warm on his finger as he wiped them away. He shed some of his own but held what he could. He just gave a small smile, a sniffle, and kept hugging without saying a world.
The feeling that he was trying to suppress, the one that tore his heart with every sob he heard, was guilt. Guilt for exposing Belle to war, for being too weak to stop Chill, for taking so long to rescue her… He had failed as a soldier, and more importantly he kept failing as an uncle, a father. “Can you ever forgive me?” was all he managed to say, unwilling to break the hug that brought him so much relief and pain.
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Post by Belle on Mar 5, 2019 11:46:32 GMT -6
Nestled safe and sound in her uncle’s arms, Belle settled down after a moment or two, comforted by the gentle beating of his heart. She was so happy to be back by her uncle’s side. She was never going to leave it ever again. Belle gave him another squeeze before looking up at him with a smile. Her face was a mess, all teary and nose red. Still, she was unwilling to let go. If anything, she snuggled in closer, mess and all.
What he said next confused her though. Her little brow furrowed and she looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. Forgive him? For what? He hadn’t done anything bad. He had come for her! Just like she knew he would. She had never doubted for an instant that he would come. Sure, she was a little sad that it had taken so long, but it just made the reunion that much better.
“Forgive you? But Uncle Kala, you didn’t do anything wrong!”
Belle smiled up at him happily.
“You came for me! I knew you would. Thank you!”
Looking away, Belle got a more assertive look on her face as she pointed to nothing in particular.
“If anyone should apologize it’s Mister Lord Chill!”
Settling back down, Belle snuggled back in, unwilling to let the hug end just yet. Oh, that reminded her. She hadn’t told her uncle about her great triumph. She grinned. He would like this story.
“Oh, Uncle Kala! I beat Mister Lord Chill at his own game. Hehe!”
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Post by Kalaboo on Mar 13, 2019 18:37:17 GMT -6
At times like these Kalabas almost forgot just how young Belle was. She spoke with a maturity, a certainty that differed from the blissful ignorance of other children - Kalabas thought that time would turn this quirk of hers into wisdom, even if he (somewhat selfishly) hoped that she’d search after uncle’s counsel for years to come. Such times were too far, however, to meander on them for long. Kalabas prefered the joys of the present, and wanted to spend it with Belle. He wiped her tears and blew her nose, discarding the handkerchief without the revulsion he would have had if it were anyone else’s snot, even his own. “No, Belle. Thank you for never losing your faith, it means… everything to me.” he smiled as he gave her a little peck on the forehead. Kisses almost never come naturally to him, but he knew Belle quite liked being showered in affection, so he gave her a warm squeeze and helped her nestle against his chest once again. “Know, however, than an apology from Chill would be too little, capuchin. He hurt me, but more importantly, he hurt you. I am glad, however, that you had the wits to best him. So tell me of your victory, my dearest littlest capuchin, for I need some laughter and you more milk.” he picked up a glass and gave it to her, signalling her to start her story.
Kalabas was legitimately unsure about the nature of Belle’s imprisonment. It was too soon to question her in detail about what happened, he feared to awaken some trauma and so thought it’d be best to give time for her wounds to heal before prodding them with surgical questioning and impersonal words. Thus, it was Kalabas’ goal to extrapolate from the story as much as he possibly could. He looked tired and amused, but in truth he was greatly alarmed, nervous to hear the horrors of Belle’s captivity.
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Post by Belle on Jun 8, 2019 14:51:21 GMT -6
Taking the glass of milk in her hands, Belle nodded affirmatively and took a big sip of it, giving herself a milk mustache in her gusto. Wiping it off, she wondered if an apology wouldn’t fix things. Uncle Kala said it wouldn’t, but if Mister Lord Chill was sorry… then why wouldn’t it? Well, it was story time, so she could worry about that later! She had to tell Uncle Kala about her victory.
“So! Mister Lord Chill was teaching me to play this game called space chess. And, and, he gave me this practice board. I was kind of alone in my room a lot of times. They had guards outside the door, and they gave me regular meals too, but… um… I had a bed and toys at least. Some plushies too.”
Realizing that maybe she was getting a touch off topic, Belle smiled mischievously as she hit on the next step to her ingenious plan.
“But anyway! I had the practice board, so I’d practice against myself a lot! And replay games against Chill in my head to make up moves for how to counter his moves! He’s got a certain… um… style…? Rhythm…? Mm…”
Tilting to one side, Belle’s brow furrowed as she tried to think of the word. It was kind of hard to describe. It was the way he played and the pace at which he played. Very Mister Lord Chill specific. It applied to more than just space chess too. It applied to things like fighting and other games. But um, anyway, she supposed the word wasn’t as important as the story, so she kept going.
“So after a while, I got a lot better! After a few times purposefully losing… came the day! I was ready. I unleashed my hidden poooooweeeeeer! And beat him real good. Ambush successful!”
Belle waved her hands in the air with a mischievous smile. It had taken Mister Lord Chill by surprise for sure. Her story finished for the most part, she took another drink of milk, enjoying being cradled in her uncle’s familiar arms. She had missed him so so much. So much! She was so happy to be back home. Honestly, since coming to Earth, things with the Fleet had gotten better. Namek had been pretty scary with that red guy and Mister Sensoa.
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Post by Kalaboo on Jun 8, 2019 17:14:02 GMT -6
Space… chess? Hardly a game, in Kalabas’ eyes, as stimulant as answering numerical equations formulated on the fly… because, indeed, space chess was just that! An endless sequence of counters and miscounters where attrition would necessitate one of the players to, out of whim or boredom or even stupidity, make a cross play and pay dearly for it. No, true tactical genius was learnt in tabletop war games. And so Kalabas wondered, which squad of miniature warriors would fit Belle best? First he’d have to ascertain her playstyle, no? He’d think more on it later… In minutes, perhaps, as the thought simply refused to leave his head.
But yes, it was clear that Chill used their lessons to develop some sort of sick connection with Belle, win her trust along with the plushies and bed and regular meals… Well, Kalabas would have done the very same thing if he wanted to pry information off a child... even if the brat was of arcosian descent. He disliked children (in concept at least), but he was no monster!
He listened to Belle, relieved now that he knew that the worst did not happen... He kissed her gently, standing up and swaying to and fro, humming slightly as she told her story, her plan, her roaring success... He had no doubts that Chill had gone easy on her, sly as that cretin was, but Belle deserved this little victory. She was happy, and Kalabas was happy for her. “Ambush successful in-” he hunched to pick a box from a lower drawer, then dropping it on the table “-deed.” He had some time to kill and a child to educate, so why not teach her lessons on dealing with crushing and total defeat through tabletop war games? They were a favorite of the Duke, even enjoyed by uncle Chard, so Belle was sure to enjoy the Saiyan Army’s very own Miniature War Simulator, right? “Now, child, would you like to clash minds with the Kingdom’s utmost tactician?“ without waiting for an answer he began placing two sets of miniatures in line, grumbling at the shoddily cast and painted Lunar Loonies, the squad he had served under as punishment (perhaps Belle would notice the likenesses between her adored uncle and the tiny plastic figure in green?) and the exceptionally painted and kitbashed Roaring Twenties, who had served Kalabas' well... He sighed, breaking the hold. “Choose your warriors.”
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Post by Belle on Jun 9, 2019 23:23:29 GMT -6
Belle tilted her head curiously to one side when Uncle Kala placed a box on the tabletop. It looked like some sort of game. Something about war games? Mm, she had never played before, but once she picked up the rules, she was determined to be really good at it. If she could best her Uncle in this, that would be amazing! She bet that he would be so proud of her. Belle nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes! Will you teach me how to play, Uncle Kala?”
Oh! This game had little figures too! But these were much more interesting. They looked a lot like toys but… seemed kinda fragile. Definitely not for hugging. He asked her to choose her warriors. She wasn’t sure which ones were good or if they had different values assigned to them like the pieces in space chess. Well, maybe she should just pick the ones she liked the best then.
Some of the figurines were kind of ugly and not really well made. Some of the others were just incredibly detailed. It made Belle sort of nervous to touch them. Like if she did, something that her uncle worked really hard on would just fall to pieces. Scooping up the not as pretty figures to her, Belle smiled up at her uncle. One of them looked kind of like him, so she was happy with her selection.
“Okay! I got them!”
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Post by Kalaboo on Jun 10, 2019 18:20:21 GMT -6
While Belle made her choice Kalabas cleaned the table, only to clutter and dirty it again. Milk cartons would mimic buildings with the food scraps in the ‘streets’ serving as cover, a great circle of spilled sugar marked the desert and game perimeter, and a reservoir was placed in the very middle of the battlefield, in the form of a small bowl of water. The table-map was… a right mess, but intricate enough to make it less of a bore for Kalabas… Even if the Duke didn't feel even a hint of boredom at all! He was glad that someone else partook in his interest, it was not like one such as Auber, a salt of the earth peasant of little ambition, had the faintest grasp in the intricacies of waging war through miniatures… But Belle surely had the mettle of mind and soul, right? It was in her blood, and she appeared interested so far. Kalabas felt hopeful and appeared ecstatic, he crouched to the girl’s level and accentuated each of his snarky syllables with quick boops on the nose “Well I would not be much of a mentor if I left you to your own devices, would I? Although I’m afraid there is not much that can be done with those.” he pointed at Lunar Loonies “First lesson then, never - ever - take a weakling to battle, much less a gaggle of them. The Lunar Loonies, that is, the squad you picked, are what is called in the ho-” he was going to call hobby what in reality was almost a science of its own, oh the heresy! “Herm, I will explain in simpler terms, perhaps… The Lunar Loonies were made weak on purpose. Low morale, shabby armor, middling power, in pure crunch - that is to say - in the bare and boring realm of numbers, they have one of the lowest averages in everything. In truth, I would not have even deigned to paint them if it weren’t for my very brief stay in their ranks… Perhaps I will tell you how I came to join them. Or not. Depends on how well you do.”
Kalabas stood and took his models, placing them all on the edges of the table. As was the case with most homebrewed squads, the Roaring Twenties were overpowered, overdetailed, and overrated by their own owner. This would not be an easy battle for Belle, but victory was a possibility… one that waned or grew depending on how endeared the Duke allowed himself to feel. “You are the defender, and I am the attacker. Your objective is to keep my soldier from reaching the bowl in... ten turns, or else the reservoir detonates and half the planet is ravaged by a tidal wave of atmospheric proportions... Neat scenario, no? Adapted from my father's memoirs! Now, this game is excessively complicated, consult the rule book whenever you feel the need and try not to comply by its demands whenever I'm taken by distraction. Remember, this is war, not a fight or battle, you are free to use whatever advantages you may come upon, even powers...” he sighed like a morose actor should your conscience allows such attacks on your dearest and most adored uncle...”
Chipper and serious at once Kalabas handed the rulebook and a sheet that detailed his squad's grossly overpowered stats and abilities, “Remember, this is a game of morals as much as it is of chance and wit, just like the real thing. Now, you may go, cast your die and prepare to be beat.”
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Post by Belle on Sept 5, 2019 22:23:41 GMT -6
Belle’s nose wrinkled with her Uncle’s most assertive boops to it. Indubitably, a critical blow. Hastily, she covered it up and rubbed it, but the damage had been done. She had been booped. Her life was definitely over now. Belle giggled at her own silliness, tuning back into what her uncle was saying when he addressed her chosen squadron. Her enthusiasm dampened a little with his first lesson, earning him a worried frown. She had made the wrong choice? But… she was weak too… Despite her protests, Belle kept listening until the end of her uncle’s lesson. She nodded attentively, growing all the more determined to best her uncle with this gaggle of weaklings.
“Hmph! Not weak…”
Belle snatched the rulebook and the sheet detailing her uncle’s squad. Her brow furrowed as she digested the numbers. It really was pretty complicated. She leafed through the rulebook, thoroughly examining all the rules and what the stats actually meant. Her squad wasn’t good at much of anything, but that didn’t mean that they were useless. It just meant that she had to get really creative as their commander. A commander had to compensate for the weaknesses of those beneath her.
“Mmm…”
Like in space chess, Belle assigned point values to each member of her squad and then each member of her uncle’s squad. This would let her know where she stood in terms of the flow of the game. The key would be taking as many of her uncle’s high value squad members as she could without expending her own or sacrificing one of her higher value pieces. As a defender, she had a bit of the home field advantage. Okay. After skimming through the rulebook once or twice, Belle was able to simplify the rules in her head and liken it to space chess. Game theory was pretty similar.
“Okay… I think I got it… so I can set up my defenders however I want?”
Belle tilted her head to the side. She knew the answer was yes, but she wanted to set the stage. She was in this to win! To prove to her uncle that weaklings could fight too. Plus, deception was a part of games. She had fooled Mister Lord Chill to win, and she was not above doing it to her uncle as well. Belle played to win! Especially because these things were the only thing that she was any good at.
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Post by Kalaboo on Sept 21, 2019 11:55:01 GMT -6
“As you must have read, child, the defender may place miniatures wherever they wish. It is I, the attacker, who must plan around the set up and terrain.” Smug as a snake, Kalabas took a moment to admire his own craft. Oh, the Roaring Twenties, each so different from the other, so beautifully coated in paint and plastic knick-knacks! If playing the game gave him exhilaration compared only to actual combat, assembling the miniatures always left the Duke in quiet, reflective, self-gloating meditation. So did basking in their 28-32mm glory, which he did with a tiny handkerchief in hand, brushing the dust out of their ostentatious bits and pieces. Besides the delightful and ever-novel pleasure of a useless occupation, Kalabas had set his eyes away from a table for a reason. “Hurry now, Belle. Place your warriors, lay your traps, ready the dice and take note of your rolls, you have a minute to prepare... Worry not, I shan’t look.”
The matchup wasn’t fair, the game was heavily tipped in the uncle’s favour, but if there was a psychically-enhanced toddler capable of beating him it would either be Tarch or Belle, and since Tarch had no apparent interest in board games… Well, nobody did, more’s the pity! Why was it that so many were turned off from such an expensive, time-consuming, migraine-inducing, soul-crushing game? Did they not understand that all those sacrifices only made victory that much sweeter?
One, two, five minutes came and went until Kalabas set the handkerchief aside, gave his toys soldiers one last glance, and rolled unto the table four consecutive handfuls of dice. Red, blue, green and yellow, they all bestowed on the roller some sort of arcane look. The saiyan was baffled, confused, certain that something was... not quite right. Of course it wasn't, the probably of something of this magnitude to happen... was astronomically low. The forty-so dies were twenty-sided, all were were thrown with masterful sleight of hand, yet all rolled numbers below three. Three! Were this an official game, the entirety of Kalabas' side would be subjected to the 'War is Hell' rule, and start but one love tap away from death! Even the androids and robots, the aliens who could regenerate light wounds, the healers! Flustered, Kalabas bumbled an excuse, capsuling the dice. “You did not use your powers, did you?” Kalabas asked Belle, finally with some damn respect in his tone “Do not answer that, but if so let me tell you... that was nothing short of amazing, spectacular... If not, well... let us hope this is not a sign of things to come. Well, you know how it goes now, yes? Descending order of initiative, your side first.” Kalabas' arms disappeared in a blur, in a second all twenty of his models were positioned in two clusters at opposites edges of the table, shielding the only two healers he had. This was going to be less of a skirmish and more of a cursed blend of trench and siege warfare, or so he thought.
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Post by Belle on Sept 26, 2019 8:11:00 GMT -6
While her uncle was admiring his collection like she might a new stuffed animal, Belle was already hard at work. She set traps, positioned her defenders, and left intentional weaknesses. It took her longer than she thought to get it all set up. She took the occasional furtive glance at her uncle to make sure that he wasn’t peeking. He didn’t. He seemed somewhat absorbed in his thoughts. All the better for her when she finished after a few minutes. Her uncle returned to the table and rolled something pretty fantastic. For her at least. She smiled unabashedly. This would give her a fighting chance! More than that if all her plans went the way that she expected them to. She was almost offended when her uncle suggested that she did something to influence the roll, but it seemed like he was almost proud of her, so she really didn’t have the heart to correct him.
“Right… okay… hm. So I can move them around like this… and then they get to do something, right?”
Belle continued to play dumb. It seemed like her uncle was going for a more cautious approach, which wasn’t exactly to her liking. Be that as it may, him bunching up in clusters made it really easy to guide him where she wanted him to go. It was like he only had two pieces on the board while she had a whole array of them! They were high value pieces, but pieces to claim nonetheless. Positioning her soldiers in a way to force and lure her uncle into her traps, Belle disguised her plot by moving a few pieces ineffectively behind the walls of what she was supposed to be defending. They were actually needed there for one of the future phases of her plan of attack.
“And… that’s my last man! I’ll move him here… and I guess… um… can he fire all the way over there?”
Belle pointed to one of her uncle’s soldiers in the cluster. It wasn’t the healer but one of the vanguard. She already knew he couldn’t manage that range with his current equipment. It was all part of the plan. She was already using telepathy and her aura sight to gauge her uncle’s reactions to her moves. Reading your opponent was a crucial aspect in any game! She had to discern his rhythm and disrupt it so that he couldn’t recover.
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