[sobble]

gengar.
Team squid
Fawkes

did they really stick an egg to their nose with bubble-gum...?

[apprentice_]

rainichi / octopus / sign up / ruka
The casino employees seem to have a key to the engine room in their possession,
but they're bored, and say they'll only give it to you if you play them for it.

prompt 03: What game does your kalon suggest, and how do they win?
( apologies in advance if rook & spider aren't entirely in character ! )
__________________

day three on an island ruka hadn’t signed up to be on, and sure enough, they’d
already sprinted across most of it— ignoring, you know, the entire half covered
by forest. which they might have also explored, if it hadn’t taken approximately
four seconds for a local to call them back. disappointing, but, they weren’t about
to make enemies of the island.

otherwise, they’d already bounced around door to door looking for something or
other to do. and usually, there was a man who would ask about their life just to
listen, or a kid playing in the tide pools, but. today was quiet.

gambling it was then.

they slammed open the door to the on-ship casino ( shockingly open despite the
boat being totaled ), and a few sets of eyes snapped over to them. they gave an
apologetic wave. “sorry, forgot the door opened like that.”

the rest of the island was maybe quiet, but the casino was definitely having a busy
day. and yet still, the two employees most commonly present were sort of just.
standing around. understandable maybe, given no fistfight was going down in the
moment.

ruka wandered over to the two. they leaned against a slot machine, winked at the
pale haired one. “aye.” gets a sort of deadpan stare in return, and they stand
straight. “anyhow, y’all up to anything? rook, and, uh. your… friend?”

“brother,” ruka’s corrected, “and my name’s spider. don’t i see you around in here
all the time? gotta learn my name one day, bud.”

there is a visible aura of fear around ruka. “i’m- i don’t have a gambling addition
if that’s what you’re asking!”

“nah, you’re too busy eyeing rook to do any gambling.”

“oh, well, yea. obviously. rook’s a babe.” admitted that much flat out.

rook is largely unamused. “if you aren’t going to spend any money, i’ll have to ask
you to leave.”

“aw, no, c’mon! we can entertain each other! something!”

“sounds sketchy,” spider waves his hand in dismissal.

“not like that.” they can tell ruka did mean like that.

“well,” rook pauses.

“well?”

“let’s make a bet.”

it’s surprising that rook’s the one that suggests it— and it really gives ruka some
sort of feeling. sounds like a bad idea, and spider nearly says it, but he’s cut off.
the bet is happening. the stakes? the key to the engine room, if ruka wins. why
they would want that, they have no idea, but all it took was a little “don’t you
want to know what’s in there?” and a look, and ruka agreed. and if ruka loses,
well. if the lord was kind, they wouldn’t lose.

ruka’s choice of game.

“poker,” they suggest, and the casino employees look pleased enough. “spicy
poker,” they add, alluding to something or other, and just about get decked.
“fair enough,” they shrug, ( they don’t know how to play poker anyway ), and
they think for a good long moment about what they might be able to play. a very,
very long moment. both men are rolling their eyes and reconsidering. you can
hear a distant narrator speak, “one eternity later,” and finally ruka perks up.

“blackjack. i’m the dealer.”

a pause from both rook and spider, perhaps waiting for ruka to add some catch
again. they don’t. the casino runners agree.

a game more of luck than anything else— unless you can count the cards, and
ruka bets at least one of the two can, considering they run a casino. but two
important factors went into this choice of game: one being that ruka only knows
how to play about three games, unless go fish counts, and second being that
there was actually a chance ruka might win. doubtfully, if rook or spider or the
both of them really knew what they were doing, but that was all part of the bet,
of course.

just a game of luck. ruka had worried the men would want a bigger challenge. but
blackjack proved wildly entertaining, because one of them was getting real
heated, and another laughed off every folly, and the last was hardly following but
having a good time nonetheless, and in the end—

they won.

accused of cheating, maybe, but spider promptly pointed out that there was “no
way this guy could cheat and get away with it.” definitely a low blow, but not
incorrect. it wasn’t any integrity keeping them from cheating, that’s for sure.
“how did you win, anyway?”

ruka shrugs. “no idea.”

spider shakes his head, and hands over the engine room key. “your winnings.
good game.”

ruka nabs the keys with childish anticipation. “yea, it was. thanks for the time.
and rook,” ruka turns to the obviously peeved brother, “let’s play again sometime.”
another hopeless wink.

“just get out.”
__________________

 [ 797 ]

[Ethulai]

Prompt # 3 Aɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴜɪsᴇ's ᴄʀᴇᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋᴇʏ?
The casino employees seem to have a key to the engine room in their possession, but they're bored, and say they'll only give it to you if you play them for it. What game does your kalon suggest, and how do they win?

Who had the key? Radford knew who had the damn key. It was those two Casino jokers, no doubt trying to amuse themselves since their main forms of entertainment were currently wandering all over the island. Personally, he thought his fellow passengers were better off being far, far away from their web of false dreams but no doubt Spider and Rook had a different view on the situation.

He groaned, knowing it was not going to be easy. Teeth gritted tight, he waved goodbye to Carcharodon and walked towards the Krab Kruise desperately thinking of how he was going to convince the six-eyed kalon and his horned friend to relinquish an object they clearly knew would be highly sought after. What were they playing at, exactly? he wondered. Giving the key to Shark would result in the ship being fixed, the cruise getting back on track and the Casino employees having more opportunities to swindle everyone. So why steal the key?

He walked into the Royale and found Spider playing a lazy game of darts while Rook polished glasses. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw that Rook had the engine key hanging around his neck. Though the slot machines were still playing their trance-inducing, repetitive jingles and the lights were almost blinding it was...sad without the players. Spider noticed him first.
"Welcome back, Chip-on-the-Shoulder," he sassed. "We're closed, in case you haven't noticed. You can play during business hours."
"Lose the 'tude, I'm not here to play your daggy machines," Radford retorted. "Give me the engine room key, the mechanic needs it." Brutal honestly had assisted him in the past, he figured he might as well give that particular strategy a go.
"Play nice," Rook hissed, coming up to stand beside Spider. "Our house, our rules. The odds are not currently in your favor."

Rook 1, Radford 0. Brutal honesty was clearly a loser's scheme.

"Sorry dude, but Shark really needs that key. It would be totally awesome if you could give it to him?" Radford said, trying desperately to be nice, really. It was just difficult for him to remember what being cordial and genuine sounded like.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere, especially when you sound so insincere," Spider laughed, a couple of his eyes winking. "Give me one good reason why we should hand over the goods. Maybe we'll give it to you if you figure out why we have it."
"Look, bro, this isn't Cluedo. I've already told you why I need it. I have no idea why you have it, nor do I care." That quickly, he had forgotten his ruse of actually having manners.

Spider 1, Radford -1. This was all going swimmingly.

"Doesn't catch on quick, does he?" Rook asked Spider.
"Trying to be a high roller when he's just a regular punter." Spider replied.
"I'm right here, hello? I. Need. The. Key. Give. It. To. Me!" Radford begged.
"Pathetic," said Rook
"I'm disappointed but not surprised," said Spider.
"Will you kooks just tell me what you want already?" Radford groused.
"We want to play a game," they said in sync.
"No can do, all your games are rigged."
"You can choose what we play. Whatever you like. As long as there's a clear winner and loser," said Spider.

Radford pondered what the two casino employees had said, searching for loopholes and trickery. An obvious winner and loser? That could be any number of things. He knew he would be foolish to choose a game he assumed the boys were adept at, such as poker. He wasn't going to risk picking any gambling based challenges because he didn't know enough about his opponents. They hadn't stepped off the ship since mooring here, so beach-themed challenges were out too. He hadn't brought any of his favourite tabletop games (and he would die before admitting he was such a nerd anyway). He didn't trust anything involving rng...or did he? Maybe it was time he took a chance and hoped it paid off. An idea formed. Jackpot.

"Follow me dudes, I've decided what we're going to do!" he said cheerfully. He took Rook and Spider out on the deck and whistled sharply over the railing. A number of his fellow passengers who were lounging around on the beach looked up towards him.
"I need an audience," he yelled. "Get up here if you're curious." A number of kalons started walking onto the ship. It was enough for his purpose. He led the crew to a door he had spotted earlier on one of his walks around the Krab Kruise. There was a shiny plaque on the door. It read Karaoke.
Rook laughed, "What's this?"
"A singing competition, obviously!" said Radford.
"Best of three?" asked Spider, his voice almost hiding his eagerness.
"Why not? In honour of your careers, let's make our choices themed around luck, casinos and gambling."
Spider and Rook glanced at each other and seemed to silently communicate.
"We're in," said Rook.
He had them. Hook, line and sinker.

Round One: Ace Magnets, an Elvis Presley Battle.
Radford warmed up the crowd by doing a passable rendition of A Little Less Conversation.
Spider and Rook belted out Viva Los Vegas.
There was much hip thrusting and posturing from all contestants.

Round Two: Place Your Bets, punter's choice.
Rook had all of the kalons swooning while he crooned Luck be a Lady;
"A lady wouldn't flirt with strangers
She'd have a heart, she'd have a soul
A lady wouldn't make little snake eyes at me
When I've got my life on this roll".
Rock n roll was Radford's choice as he channeled Motörhead;
"You know I'm born to lose, and gambling's for fools
But that's the way I like it baby
I don't wanna live for ever
And don't forget the joker!"
Spider have the crowd some good life advice from Kenny Rogers;
"You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away..."
By now the energy in the room had reached fever pitch.

Round Three: All in
Radford had saved the best for last and he serenaded the crowd with a Sting classic;
"I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
But that's not the shape of my heart"
Unfortunately, he had read the crowd wrong. As much as they enjoyed his ballad, Rook and Spider brought down the house with Lady Gaga's Poker Face.

Afterwards he shook Rook's and Spider's hands, as he wasn't a sore loser. They were both grinning with delight and smug with victory.
"Go on then," Spider said to Rook and nudged him good naturedly.
Rook took the engine room key from around his neck and placed it in Radford's paw. "Thanks for the entertainment, kid."
"Yeah, it was fun. Good hustle." Spider added. "I don't know how you figured this was a good gamble, but now we know your tells. We'll be keeping...several eyes on you."
Radford saluted them both and walked off to find Carcharodon.

[1,187 words]

[Chickpea]

Foam sword duel, Titus is great with swords!

[zakuro.]

zakuro. || sylvia || octopus!

[King Andre]

Prompt 3
featured or mentioned: Anthony (registered), Musashi
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"Anthony, who would have a key?" Musashi asked the curly haired young man as they walked back up to the ship from the docks. "I don't know, but I will in one second." Anthony stopped once they were atop the ship to close his eyes, quietly mouthing the words of an esoteric language while the tattoos on his neck and arms briefly glowed with black light. Musashi stood back reflexively and tensed his body; though Tony meant no harm to him, the ronin's own experience with magic taught him to be weary of it.

"It's in the casino."

"That could have been deduced without magic, no? Not many people are left on the ship."

"....True, lets go."

--

"A game? You want us to play a game for it?" Anthony's face and tone were incredulous, and for a moment he considered forcing the key from them. But Musashi's firm hand on his shoulder calmed the short tempered man before he could get any more angry.

"We'll play cards, but with a twist. We're gonna throw them, at these boards." Anthony gestured behind the casino workers who were shocked to find a dart board suspended in the air. "The outer layer is made out of styrofoam so the cards will stick. Whichever team scores the most points, that is, more points are scored the closer your cards are to the center, wins."

The casino employees had a mixture of excitement and fear on their faces, but nonetheless looked eager to play. Anthony blinked, he was almost certain they wouldn't be able to throw cards, but they seemed ready.

One by one, cards hit the second ring consistently as they flew from the first workers hands, meanwhile Anthony was having a mixed bag of luck. That is to say, he was having trouble hitting the board at all. Eventually it was time for Musashi and the second worker to play, which was what the curly haired young man was betting on.

With a simply flick of his wrist, the cards sliced through the air with surgical precision. Hitting the center one by one, with one card even splitting through another. The casino employee was just as good as his partner, but couldn't match the meticulous accuracy of the ex-ronin.

"Key please."

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[EchoLeaf]

What game does your kalon suggest and how do they win?

[CSMintCat]

What game does your kalon suggest, and how do they win?
Sign-up.

Being on the job daily and being on-call to step in almost 24/7 had left Cody with little free time to anything else, much less dabble in any sort of leisure activity like games. So, when he was tasked with proposing a game (of all things!) to try to win the key, he was stumped. What was he even good at? Running, yes, but was running even a game? As he tried to think of a game, any game, that he would be good at, Cody realized how lacking his life was. Waking up early to go to work, going through his routine in the forest, heading home late at night - interspersed with the casual emergency call-in every so often.
Heck, the only interaction he had with other people were the various fleeting encounters with other hikers and with his coworker Mikhail (plus the other strange creatures that plagued the forest, if you could count those as "people"). Mikhail. Bless Mikhail. Even though he wasn't a very talkative, the time spent with the his stoic friend was very much enjoyed.
They even played their own version of "I Spy" whenever there was a free moment on their route...
I Spy.
That's it!
Cody suddenly jolted up, startling his fellow travellers.
Being in the forest so frequently, he had developed a very keen eye for things - things hidden, things out of the ordinary, things that may not be what they appear to be.
He would challenge Spider and Rook to a modified game of I Spy, where they would find various animals and plants in the forest, and he would win.

[✧ 花chéngzhǔ.]

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"Wᴇʟʟ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ꜰᴜɴ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ!"
"Gᴜᴇss ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs. Mᴀᴋᴇ sᴜʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛᴏ Sʜᴀʀᴋ."

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Prompt Three is over, and Prompt Four is posted!

[annie15970]

Prompt 4 / Squid/ Sign-up