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Post by Alastair Warwick on Sept 25, 2017 19:37:14 GMT
♔ Alastair was not a easy man to bore. The scheming member of Hypnos almost always had something to absorb himself into. Whether it was his job or a long novel or even watching the news, he always found a way to keep himself entertained. The one-eyed man made a conscious effort to keep himself focused on something or another, as he found that he became somewhat cross when he was bored. This had been the case since he was a child, but he'd just gotten better at hiding and disposing of his annoyance as an adult.
As of this exact moment, however, Alastair was bored out of his skull. The brit was currently lounging in an admittedly comfortable,
leather chair in an empty lounge of the Hypnos HQ. He had one leg draped over the other, his hands clasped together resting on his chest, and his head staring up at the ceiling. The man's cycloid gaze was glazed over as he merely let his mind wander, not paying much attention to his surroundings. His train of thought mostly consisted of benign normal thoughts (ex. "I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow?" or "Which do I actually like more? Earl Grey, Prince of Wales, or Oolong tea?"), but his mind eventually began to focus on finding something to do.
Alastair turned his attention briefly towards a window, only to see that it was nighttime and raining fairly heavily. "I suppose a pleasant walk or a jog is out of the question." Chances are that he wouldn't feel like going out in the rain unless if some Digimon Bio-Emerged and gave him something to do. Cupping his chin with one of his hands, the ex-sharpshooter began to ponder what he could possibly do that would entertain him. It didn't take long before he came up with a satisfactory activity to bury himself into. "Mu! Bring me the chess set!"
The Pawnchessmon, who had been standing guard beside the door, shambled off for a moment before silently returning with a fully set-up chessboard. The brit chuckled to himself momentarily. He was glad that he had thought of bringing along the board game for just such an occasion. Granted, he didn't exactly many people to play with, as Mu couldn't and Alastair had no clue where the other agents were at the moment. It was times like this when he actually missed his sisters, as they always made time to play chess with him.
Waving off Mu, who took that as a sign to return to standing next to the door, Alastair concluded that he would have to play against himself. He had actually found that one's own self makes for a very interesting opponent when it comes to chess. Moving his black pawn forward two spaces, he spun the chess board around so that he could promptly move a white bishop. He continued like this for several minutes, immersing himself entirely in this battle of wits against himself. In fact, he was so engrossed in the game that he didn't hear someone open the door to the lounge and enter.
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Post by Tsubaki Momo on Sept 25, 2017 23:31:26 GMT
She would enter the establishment with freshly pressed business attire, her hair fashioned into a neat ponytail and her form covered in a faint layering of cinnamon-scented perfume. The woman appeared as though she was here for business and nothing more, her stoic Digimon at her side and keeping up with her notably speedy pace. Tsukai carried with her a stack of files, each filled with printed information of varying importance. Her digital companion held its fair share as well, easily managing the weight of the papery collection.
"Take these to my office," she instructed.
The woman surrendered her portion - relief flitting across her face as she did so - the Digimon releasing a little grunt in response as it moved to obey her command. The female would closely observe its movements as it took its leave, making sure it was moving in the correct direction. Once it disappeared around a corner, she quickly shifted her focus elsewhere. A little sigh of exasperation would slip from her mouth, a weary look now settled upon her facial features.
'I need a drink,' she thought.
Tsubaki flexed her hands and arms - wiggling her fingers experimentally due to the numbness she had felt as a result of bearing the weight of the documentation. It was a pity that the private parking spot she had managed to obtain was a despairingly lengthy distance from the building's side entrance. She would shift her gaze after hurriedly relocating herself to the lounge, taking in the sight of her comrade and his digital beast. It stood by silently, attentive and actively bearing a resemblance to a statue.
'What is this? A game?'
"Well," she drawled. "If it isn't Mister Warwick - playing with himself. This is a public area, I'll have you know."
She would venture toward the counter which possessed a machine dedicated to the task of producing hot, caffeinated beverages. The woman started up the blessedly simple device before hastily retrieving the items she would need to prepare a proper cup for herself.
"I'm assuming you have little else to fill that schedule of yours?"
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Post by Alastair Warwick on Sept 26, 2017 20:12:43 GMT
♔Now this is just what the doctor ordered. A game of chess, despite lacking in a proper partner to play with, always put Alastair in good spirits and kept him entertained. One could actually note the small smile that tugged at the corners of his lips, as it wasn't the normal smirk that adorned the man's face. He'd also noticably unbuttoned the top two buttons of his suit shirt and loosened his black tie slightly for comfort, making him look more casual than he ever normally did in HQ.
He'd been entirely unaware that Tsubaki had entered the lounge until she had spoken up. Once her feminine tones reached his ears, Alastair raised his head to level his gaze at her. Now this certainly was a surprise. The British man hadn't exactly expected anyone else to actually enter the lounge at this time of night, especially not the more... pleasant of his two agent co-workers. Granted, he hadn't exactly taken the time to figure out her or Daichi's daily patterns, so he had no way of knowing whether or not either would have randomly decided to come to the lounge.
Taking a moment to re-adjust his tie and sit back up properly, his mind had been temporarily shanghaied away from his chessboard. Alastair began to take-in Tsubaki's image to try and get a gauge as to what kind of mood she might have been in. Posture was normal, no particular irregularity to her gait, though there was a slight twitch or unsteadiness of her hands. This might have implied that she was carrying something somewhat weighty not too long ago, but Alastair was more so willing to chalk it up to the possibility that she was merely somewhat tired. Or some combination of the two. He concluded that she seemed to be in a neutral mood, if a bit tired.
"Good evening, Miss Momo." He chimed, making sure his tone was as pleasant as could be. "You'll have to excuse me improperly 'playing with myself', ma'am. But what else is a chap supposed to do when he has no one to indulge himself with?"
Taking a moment to reach into his pocket, Alastair retrieved a cherry flavored cough drop and placed it into his mouth. The man had a strange habit of constantly eating cough drops, to the point where his breath consistently smelled like cherries. He told the other members of Hypnos that they actually helped keep him from smoking, but he could still be seen using a long, silver-and-gold pipe from time to time.
"As for your question, I, unfortunately, don't have as busy a schedule as some. So, I've taken to enjoying one of my favorite pastimes: chess." Chuckling for a moment, he moved his singular eye to briefly look at Mu. "My Digimon just isn't quite up to snuff at board games, sadly, so I've been all by my lonesome."
Gesturing to the (probably) equally comfortable, leather chair across from him, he intoned, "Care to join me, Miss Tsubaki? I'd much enjoy your company." coded by pinn @ thq |
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Post by Tsubaki Momo on Sept 28, 2017 2:34:10 GMT
The woman very rarely involved herself in anything that could be considered a 'game'. Occasionally, she would dabble in the art of gambling, the risk involved often awarding her with a much-needed thrill. But games lacking in consequence rarely captured her interest. So she would raise a brow at Warwick, uncertain of if she should partake in the man's company or simply take her cup and leave. She would describe the foreigner as a handsome and charismatic fellow. He was also intelligent and notoriously witty, having mastered the art of wordplay enough to leave her positively smitten. Tsubaki inhaled deeply the scent of freshly brewed coffee, having placed her cheaply made cup underneath the drip. It would leave her impatient for its finish despite it filling the cup very quickly. Once it was mostly filled and the machine had been halted, she would pour a hefty amount of sugar and vanilla cream within the dark mixture. It would leave it sickeningly sweet, colored an off-set of white and filled with clumps that floated and dissipated due to its hot temperature. "Mmm." The woman would take an experimental sip and hum quietly, visibly pleased by its strong taste. Licking her lips for a moment, she would finally take the time to respond to her comrade's invitation. "I will join you," she said. "A small break is exactly what I need, actually." It was as though she was relied upon, as of lately, to manage the filing system and all things involving paperwork. Anything related to their missions, once printed upon official documentation, was surrendered to her for processing. She was occasionally wielded as a field agent, but she was frequently relied upon to offer her services as a interrogator and a paper pusher. Thankfully, her salary and the promises that filled her contract made up for lengthy stretches of time spent handling such things. "And we wouldn't want you to be alone for too long, now do we?"She would sit across from the man, crossing her legs neatly and placing the cup at the board's side. The woman eyed the display, familiar with the title of such a game but not its rules. Each individual piece would catch her focus for only a moment before she moved to pick up the queen's piece. "How lovely," she praised. "I assume you'll be teaching me the rules involving this game of yours. It's called 'chess', correct?"
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Post by Alastair Warwick on Oct 5, 2017 4:42:08 GMT
♔Perfect!
An actual person to converse with was so much more pleasant than playing chess by his lonesome. Though, as much he wouldn't entirely admit it, Alastair was pleased that the person in question was Tsubaki. He found the older woman to be rather enjoyable company, as her wit and charm made her a delight in terms of conversation. It wasn't exactly a secret that he favored her company over Daichi's, and while that wasn't to say that he disliked the younger Kumo (he found his personality charmingly simple), Alastair merely found her to be more his speed.
"Believe me when I say this, Ms. Momo: leaving me to my own devices isn't the best plan of action." Taking a moment to chuckle lightly to himself, Alastair leaned forward before finishing his thought, "I tend to be rather devious when away from prying eyes. Then again, I still get a little devious in front of others, so I suppose I'm just a problem child in general."
When Tsubaki mentioned him teaching her how to play chess, Alastair's one eye opened wide for a brief moment. His momentary surprise had been at the idea of someone not knowing how to play the age-old strategy game, but his brief confusion had been dashed by reminding himself that he was in Japan now. 'Go' was more the game of the country than chess and was something that the foreigner had been meaning to look into, but hadn't gotten around to yet. After a few seconds of composing himself, Alastair began to move all of the pieces back to their starting positions, eyeing the raven-haired woman across from him all the while.
"It'd be an honor and a privilege to give you some insight to my favorite game." He finished resetting the board, sans the queen piece in her hand, and resumed speaking, "Gives me an excuse to play chess and enjoy some time with a pleasant lady."
Holding up the king piece on his side of the board, Alastair smiled before he began. "The aim of the game is to either capture the opponent's king or place it into a position where it cannot possibly escape. It is considered good sportsmanship to concede defeat when put into a position where you know you have a strong possibility of losing, but there is no rule saying you can't draw the game out as long as you want."
He then plucked one of each type of piece before putting them in the center of the board. "Pawns can only move forward. On their first move, they can move one or two squares. Afterwards, they can move only one square at a time. There's also a rule that states that a pawn that reaches the other end of the board can be replaced with any other piece besides a king. They can capture an enemy piece by moving one square forward diagonally. Knights can move only in an L-shape, one square up and two over, or two squares over and one down, or any such combination of one-two or two-one movements in any direction. Bishops can move any number of squares diagonally. Rooks can move any number of squares, up and down and side to side. Queens can move any number of squares along ranks, files and diagonals. Finally, kings can move one square at a time in any direction."
Once he was finished with his explanation on how the pieces moved, Alastair reset the board once again. He'd probably just dumped a decent of amount of information to keep track of, but didn't look overly concerned by the fact. He knew his commpatriot to be a smart lass. She probably found this all fairly simplistic or at least somewhat easy to follow along with.
Taking another cough drop and placing it in his mouth after having dissolved the last one, the man gave Tsubaki a pleasant smile. "Those are all the basics of the game. I could drone on and on about the strategy involved with the game, or excellent plays I've seen done in my years, or such and such." He briefly rolled his eye in a comedic way, "I'd hate to bore you though, Tsubaki." coded by pinn @ thq |
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Post by Tsubaki Momo on Oct 9, 2017 1:19:21 GMT
She returned the lovely chess piece after a brief moment, tentatively placing it onto the checkered board. Her smile had become more apparent, a pleased expression forming as she preened in response to his small compliment. Tsubaki simply adored words meant to bolster her own already inflated ego, and she suspected that Alastair was aware that such verbal tactics appealed to her on a personal level.
"I see."
Tsubaki focused on his instructions - each word painting the image of a simplistic game that required at least some investment of strategic thought. Each piece possessed its purpose, and she quickly realized why so many favored this particular game in the western regions. The woman would lick her lips in an absent fashion, inwardly bubbling in excitement at the prospect of playing against her comrade for the first time. This game would serve as a welcomed distraction - one that would allow her mind to focus on something that did not involve her hefty pile of work.
"Yes. I think I understand," she said, her gaze clinging onto the board and its neatly arranged pieces.
There was the barest hint of eagerness which colored her tone, revealing that her interest was indeed genuine.
"I'm ready to begin if you are, my friend."
And so she would begin the game, deciding that it would be she whom made the first movement. It required her several seconds to do so, the decision rushed but executed with the utmost confidence.
"Mister Warwick," she started, allowing for casual conversation to fill the following stretch of silence. "We've worked alongside one another for a considerable amount of time. Yet I know so little about you. Why did you come to work with Hypnos?"
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Subject Mu
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Post by Alastair Warwick on Oct 16, 2017 23:46:19 GMT
♔There was something that warmed Alastair's (considerably under-used) heart about teaching Tsubaki chess. The small amounts of eagerness and enjoyment he'd just barely catch from her tone and expression caused a small smile to tug at the corners of his lips. Despite being considered by many to be a bastard, he still had his human moments of simple pleasures.
Eyeing her first move with a watchful gaze, Alastair noted the confidence behind her movement and nodded at the decision. "I was going to say 'ladies first', but you beat me to it. Well executed, Ms. Momo." Instead of running through the multitude of opening moves he could implement, the foreigner merely moved a pawn forward without seemingly much thought. It might have seemed mindless, but he was baiting her out, wanting to see how she chose to advance. It would be then when he would choose his proper strategem.
After Tsubaki chose to inquire as to his reasons for joining Hypnos, Alastair reclined in his chair for a moment. Indeed, the two had worked together for quite some time. The man made it almost a habit to try and not to interact with too many of the other agents and workers in the organization, but he'd spent a considerable time in the presence of the woman across from him. What that said about him as a person, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to complain about the status quo. Alastair had learned how to talk to Tsubaki through this extended contact and often made attempts to fuel her ego with complimentary words and phrases to get on her good side. Despite this, he'd never once opened up to her about his past or his reasonings for choosing to side with Hypnos.
"Well, my dishonorable discharge from the British Armed Forces certainly helped." For a moment, a tired look overcame him. Alastair began to fiddle with the edge of his eyepatch, another odd habit of his, before continuing with, "I suppose you could say that I merely wasn't ready to give up fighting. Without a mission to complete, I'd be as lost as a newborn babe as to what to do with my life. Thankfully, Hypnos made contact with me shortly after I'd made it to London after my discharge. I was more than happy not to have to deal with my family upon my return... Though I suppose I do miss my sisters."
Returning his expression back to his normal, netural one, Alastair leaned forward again. Opening up to others wasn't exactly his strong suit, and it showed in the almost sullen tone he used just a moment ago and the previous look upon his face. Why he even decided to properly answer her question instead of lying or changing the subject was beyond him.
Perhaps he'd gotten used to her and didn't mind her prying, or perhaps he didn't figure she'd use the information against him.
Whatever the reason, Alastair decided to speak up again in his normal tone, "I hope I answered your question well enough, Ms. Momo. I applaud you for being the first person I share my reasoning with, though. I do believe that means you know me more than most." Chuckling good-naturedly, he rested his chin in his hand. "Might I inquire as to why such a noble, intelligent, and beauteous personage like yourself is mixing about with such a shifty group as this? If not, I'll respect your privacy. Just being a bit curious is all."
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Post by Tsubaki Momo on Oct 22, 2017 6:06:16 GMT
She responded predictably, a pleased gleam having entered her eye as she produced a genuinely bright smile for the foreign male. His clever wording always rendered her soft, her mood only improving as he addressed her in such a way. "Oh, you are simply too much, Mister Warwick," she drawled. The woman had failed to comment during the duration of his story. Instead, she had listened intently, unwilling to allow a single detail to be missed. It was intriguing to learn about her comrade's dependency when it came to the act of 'fighting' and 'missions'. He would never be content, it seemed, to take on a life which lacked excitement. And, strangely enough, his desperation to continue work that involved physical investment and some amount of risk had led him here. The man spoke a language not his own and lived within the borders of a country that could be considered strange when compared to his homeland.
'Would I be willing to do the same?' She thought.
She tilted her head lightly, reached for her cup of coffee, and took several sips of the sweetened mixture before returning it to its original place.
'I'm not sure. How odd.'
"I will tell you," she responded, simply.
There was a brief pause, her gaze shifting from his handsome features to the board placed before them.
'Ah, it's my turn.'
Tsubaki allowed herself to think for a lengthy stretch of time about this particular move, a solid minute having passed as a comfortable silence settled between the two. Once a piece had been moved, she offered up a little grin - her previous one having faded.
"They promised money, political influence, and security," she said. "My desire is to one day become a household name. To be remembered by my people because of my actions. I refuse to be forgotten like so many before me."
There was a strangeness to her tone - an odd intensity that had entered her amber gaze as she peered at Warwick. Suddenly, her features would crinkle in amusement as she spoke her next few words.
"I also wish to acquire a husband," she continued, honestly. "I've been alone for far too long and would enjoy having a man for myself. Are you married, Mister Warwick?"
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