star_kingdom_logs | A friendly competition

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A friendly competition

WHO: Ami Mizuno & Ciel Phantomhive; Closed
LOCATION: Disney Castle
TIME: Midday
WHAT: Being two of the only chess players, Ami and Ciel meet to have a match.
RATING: G - Most likely

In preparation for Miss Mizuno’s arrival, Ciel had took the liberty of setting the chess set up outside rather than having to go through the shop to reach the interior lodgings. Thankfully the weather was cooperating, the sun was out, there was a mild breeze and the local foliage offered some partial shade. He never realized how much trouble went into preparing for a guest without a butler. No matter whether his title meant anything or not in this new location he still had to show the proper Phantomhive hospitality his house was known for. The chairs were white-colored rot iron with intricate swirled designs, the table matched and was round with a glass top.

Situated in the center was a chess board, all the pieces were already in place. The set itself glistened slightly in the light, having been freshly wiped off and cleaned. After this, and after the shop had some time to grow and hopefully prosper he might start looking for at least one servant. It didn’t appear like any of his existing servants were going to arrive in Traverse Town anytime soon. On a shorter side table were an array of sweet treats his guest might like, and a kettle of tea. He’d taken much care in setting everything up, despite the fact that they were only meeting to play a game. If Sebastian ever did show up… Ciel would never admit how difficult his job actually is. At least he hadn’t had to make the treats himself. They would have been inedible for sure.

Once he was satisfied with his work, Ciel took a seat by the black pieces. Black-- always seemed more fitting for him. He idly leaned to one side in order to rest his face on one hand, while the other picked up the black knight. “Shouldn’t you be defending the king….?”. He sighed and carefully placed it back on the board. No matter what happened, Ciel still intended to accomplish what he set out to do. Today, however, would just be a day to unwind for a little while.

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It was beautiful, really. That was Ami's first thought. Even here, Ciel Phantomhive had managed to make a place of beauty and elegance for his home. She found it inspiring. Perhaps Makoto would redecorate the senshi's lodgings (she couldn't think of it as home here, yet).

When she came upon Ciel, she was smiling. "Thank you very much for your invitation," she greeted him politely. "It was kind of you to go out of your way for a stranger." But perhaps that was the way of things here. Certainly, she was more outgoing herself already, more likely to take the initiative to meet people. It seemed prudent, when all of them needed to work towards the same ends.

As soon as he saw her approach he stood up. It was the polite thing to do after all. Much of the Disney Castle area's architecture was already eyecatching, acting as the perfect backdrop for the scene. "Think nothing of it, it was no trouble at all." .. Which wasn't entirely true, still he preferred to maintain that air that things like this were easy for someone from his household to achieve.

He motioned to the other chair and returned the smile, albeit a little faintly. Smiling was not something Ciel did often, but it was necessary for certain situations. At least he'd had some practice before arriving here. "Please be seated, I trust you had no difficulty in finding this place."

"I don't think anyone could miss it," Ami admitted. She allowed herself another open look at their surroundings before politely returning her attention to her host. "Thank you."

She sat with notably proper posture; a small sign of her own nervousness in meeting someone new. It was easier to rely on the ingrained courtesies and hope they worked out for the best. She glanced at the remnants of Ciel's practice, and took note of the likely moves to bring himself to that point.

"Perhaps not," He replied nonchalantly. As she looked around taking in the full scope of the area, Ciel was patient and remained quiet. However when she addressed him again he felt the need to ask,"Is this the first time you've come to this world?"

After she was seated, he sat down again forgetting that there was no one else here to serve the tea, should either of them fancy a cup. It was within reach but should the need arise it would be more fitting to serve it while standing up. He smirked slightly as he followed her line of sight but swiftly it faded. The last thing he intended was to choose more predictable moves. At least the game provided several alternatives.

He moved the pieces gently back to their starting positions.

"It is," Ami admitted. "I've only been here a few weeks, so I haven't had the opportunity to see many places yet." But she would. She definitely would. She'd always wanted to travel and test herself.

As they made smalltalk, something she was never wholly comfortable with, Ami helped to reset the board once Ciel started. It was easier if she focused on that. Once it was ready, she sat back in her seat, back still not touching the chair.

"Shall we begin?"

"Nor have I been able to travel to all the worlds myself," He seconded. With his time split between setting up the business, and looking after his fiancee he'd been unable to do much else. Now that things were coming together, perhaps more time would become available.

That was something else the two had in common. Small talk was not the Earl's forte either. Ami must have been used to presenting this image because Ciel hadn't picked up on the nervousness at all. "Though it might be safer if you kept to worlds not renowned for their heartless populations."

When it was fixed he gave a light nod," After you."

She didn't answer. She could hardly to explain to Ciel why a gentle, studious girl had been assigned to one of the worlds with notably strong Heartless: Agrabah. The senshi were a secret. Her powers were a secret.

"Thank you," she focused on the game instead. She made her opening, a move straight from the book; she was playing to a defensive strategy for the beginning at least.

Her behavior wasn't at all peculiar so he took no notice of the omission. She didn't really seem like the type to have enlisted in King Mickey's operations, especially on such short notice. Though he also knew better than to underestimate a person based on their appearance. A lesson learned most recently when he discovered his own fiancee was actually skilled in fencing. At the moment, he wasn't sure what to think of his current companion. Based on what he knew she was just a polite, reserved, girl intent on collecting information on those that had been pulled here in the hopes of finding a pattern. It was mildly curious why so many of her friends had been spared as well.. what gave individuals the strength to resist the heartless?

He looked over the board and carefully decided on his own move. Ciel decided to try and lead her into a trap. His moves would look identical to those used in his practice until he decided to spontaneously deviate from it. That was something he enjoyed about chess the most.. it was a true battle of the minds rather than relying on physical strength. He moved his first piece.

"Do you remember what you saw just before you wound up here?"

She didn't answer, this time, until after studying the board and making her move; she did not sacrifice clarity of mind to conversation. The trap was too simple: She hardly expected a worthwhile chess opponent to duplicate a strategy she'd already seen. She countered focusing solely on the moves Ciel made, and not the practice.

She glanced up after slipping a pawn into a guard position. "I remember the Heartless. I remember the world darkening." If she said this with more composure than might be expected of an academic, it wasn't the first time she'd seen her world destroyed.

It was obvious that his strategy wasn't working, else she would have moved to a different space. He smiled slightly but this time it was more genuine. So it wouldn't be that simple after all. It had been worth testing. Another thing he noticed was how quiet she'd get while weighing her options. A luxury he didn't require but he wouldn't begrudge her for it.

It had been a few weeks, that could explain her calm demeanor,"I didn't see them myself.." He moved another pawn to free one of his bishops during the statement," Do you come from a world where supernatural incidents are common place?".

Of course. It should be a worthwhile fight to the end, shouldn't it? Besides, when it comes to focus, she can't be beat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0mb10UY7D4&feature=related). Ami was also used to tournaments where it would be the height of poor conduct to be a distraction herself; she refrained from becoming one.

Her next moves were calculated to line her men into position for a clear assault not on the king, but the queen; in the meantime, she took advantage of the attention Ciel would have to give that threat to set up a trap for more minor pieces.

"I did," she admitted. There was no harm in that; Osaka Naru would even confirm it anyway. "There were strange incidents, especially in Japan, from time to time."

The queen was a more obvious choice-- such a versatile piece had been detrimental in any number of matches. The queen, hm, the queen had already fallen hadn't she? Though he hadn't lost that piece yet it wasn't imperative in order to succeed. He didn't allow himself to get complacent about what Ami was attempting but didn't fall into the trap of breaking his pawn chains. His efforts were more focused on freeing up his minor pieces as they would be able to move freely, unencumbered by the pawns.

"To that extent, you have a bit of an advantage over many of us," Implying that he'd never seen anything remotely peculiar before now. The less people associated him with the supernatural.. the better. "What kind of strange incidents?".

Good. She had to respect him for being careful with his queen but not overly attached to it. In battle, even if she herself was the sacrifice that would bring them closer to their goal, she would become that sacrifice willingly - had become that sacrifice willingly.

She lingered over her next move, choosing to threaten her real goal, now that he'd seen through the smoke and fog. She gave the answer that any news source in her world could have given.

"Strange atmospheric phenomenon, including attacks from monsters, a clan claiming to be from an alien planet, a notable school which was destroyed in an unexplained explosion, and the townspeople behaving abnormally aggressively."

That's where the two differed. In his game, he was willing to sacrifice anyone but himself. If he died the game would be over. ~~Though he had tried to save others in the past despite his seemingly staunch stance on this matter~~.

The situation was getting more dire in game as they both kept filling up the available spaces. In an unusual move he moved one of the knights up the side. The more preferable moves depended more on controlling the center but he had something else in mind.

"That is a lot to have witnessed in one lifetime," It was a wonder that she was so well-adjusted.

And she hasn't even hinted at just how directly she experienced each of those, or the times she'd indeed sacrificed herself, her very life, for her mission to protect her friend and keep the people safe.

"I think," she said slowly, "It's because I've kept my mind focused, even despite that sort of news."

"Maybe it's why I'm alright here. Of course, I want to find a solution to this situation; of course I'm disturbed by it. But the way for me to handle that is to move forward."

She followed her words by chasing Ciel's knight. Forward and onward.

"It never helps to dwell on the past," Which was a bit hypocritical considering all of his main goals dealt with prior misdeeds against his family and himself but it was not like he was going to reveal that much. "Moving forward really is the only option we have." He agreed with her.

".. And at least you have a direction." Ami knew what she wanted and was working toward those goals. It was an admirable trait that not everyone possessed.

He smirked a little and moved the corresponding knight on the other side. The two were aimed towards the prize in a pincher like fashion.

She was in trouble. Ami pursed her lips lightly as she examined the board anew. Ah- There was the trap she was looking for. But avoiding it would mean leaving her other piece there exposed...

Finally, she made her move, sacrificing the lesser piece to keep her overall strategy intact.

"Do you feel as though you have a direction for yourself, too?"

Ciel laced his fingers together and leaned forward enough to rest on his hands. It was getting more interesting, that was for sure. He would have rather she had avoided it, but that would have made for a shorter game. Claiming that piece he worked on forming a new direction to go in.

"First and foremost is establishing myself here. There's no telling how long we might be trapped here.. and I also need to look out for Elizabeth," He wasn't entirely sure if the two had met before however he fully intended to provide for his fiancee-- not realizing she'd already taken a job herself. "Then of course I would be keen on sorting out this matter with the darkness.."

Whether he ever returned to England didn't matter. If he could complete his goals here there would be no point in returning.

Vengeance was a tricky goal. It might not be attainable, in a world where time-lines collided and realities were mixed and altered. Ami, of course, had no idea of Ciel's goals, however, and said nothing on that topic.

"You're adjusting to being here very well," she did remark. "I'll admit I'm excited, too, to see the different places and things I never could have imagined existing back home - like the gummi ships. But I don't know if I could get used to it like that."

Even if she, too, had already spoken up to guard against the Heartless.

It certainly was a possibility and it was something that preyed on his mind. Having already met his mother here-- if he did destroy the perpetrators whose to say if it would stick universally. That;s simply all he had to strive for. He just couldn't give it up. It was his hatred that had given him a second chance.. if he abandoned it.. would there be anything left?

"I am trying to adjust, anyway," He replied humbly. "That is a healthy way to look at this situation. More like a vacation than a permanent imprisonment." How he loathed those gummi ships. Smiling, genuinely, was difficult to begin with and those ships always seemed to know when you were trying to fool them. Consequently he tried to always take a gummi ship with more than one person riding so they could think all the happy thoughts needed to power the things.

"But should you go to those other worlds, it certainly would be wise to bring someone else with you." He re-emphasized.

Ami, who would accompany Lizzie before long, smiled. "I'll go with my friends," she said easily. She was very fortunate, and knew it, that several of them were here with her. "We'll keep each other safe."

Lizzie? That girl just wouldn't sit put. She troubled Ciel so with her abundance of curiosity and how often she'd already found herself in trouble. Was it so difficult to keep to the relatively safe worlds? Luckily, he didn't know about that upcoming excursion.

He nodded to her response, not really surprised by it. Ami was sensible, He moved the next piece and tried to lure her into taking one of his pawns. They were expendable anyway.

"Which world interests you the most?"

Ami paused her with her hand on her chosen piece. "That would have to be Atlantica," she said immediately. "I've always loved swimming. And a world like that one seems like something right out of a fairy tale, doesn't it?"

She made her move, missing the cues and taking the pawn.

Having only heard of Atlantica in passing he really didn't know much about it. If he did that would be one of the worlds he least wanted to visit. The transformation into some form of aquatic life was not something he'd be keen on experiencing. All he knew is that it was under the sea, and mythological creatures were rumored to reside there. "Mm, it does sound that way."

He smirked when she fell into this next trap moving a bishop to take up residence on the board closer to his knights and closer to her king.

The smirk itself alerted her, and Ami examined the board again before her next turn. Ciel's move only made it certain.

Well, falling into a trap happened to the best of players, sometimes. She needed to put her mind to finding the way out, instead of worrying about it. After awhile, she moved to keep her king protected.

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A friendly competition

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