PEACE WEEKEND

[airlockedmods]

[It's your first week here, and you've been offered a fantastic prize for killing someone: an all-expense paid vacation! It's a pretty standard prize as far as reality game shows go.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), this isn't exactly a game show.

It seems that no one has died this weekend, and the deadline for the prize is now expired. There's no announcement from the Overseers to that effect; in fact, none of you have seen either of them since Tuesday. Maybe they'll make a reappearance soon, but for now, it seems that you've got a moment of peace.

Hopefully nothing happens to it.]

Comments

[quadjumps]

[ the moment passes, and yuri stares at him as he walks away. he...he'd be lying if he said he didn't appreciate that. but he doesn't bother stopping slaine because yuri knows he needs to be alone.

some time passes, and he's going to seek slaine out.

when he does find him, he hands him a deck of cards. ]

Can you play Speed?

[batfortheprincess]

[Slaine's not expecting to be approached by Yuri, so he can't hide the surprise on his face. He can't help but stare a little as the deck is plopped into his hands and for a moment, he just stares at it, like it's something alien.]

I remember some of the rules, but it's been a long time. Did... you want to play?

[quadjumps]

[ he just nods in response. ]

Or if you have any other games then tell me. I'll play whatever.

[ is this his way of trying to connect...? ]

[batfortheprincess]

No, this is enough. I didn't learn very many card games to begin with, so there wouldn't be very many I could suggest regardless.

[Also let's say they're in the game room ig?! But anyways, he'll pull out a couple of chairs at a table and just kind of shuffle the cards slowly. This whole experience is kind of weird to him, but it's... not bad.]

[quadjumps]

[ yuri's just gonna lean back in his chair while slaine shuffles. it already says wonders that he's out and about and not holing himself up in his room. ]

Oh, right. I forgot about the servant thing.

[batfortheprincess]

[Yuri is a good kid...]

Yes. [His memory is good enough that he deals the correct number of cards around at least, but only time will tell if he remembers all the rules clearly enough.]

However, I didn't work as a servant my whole life, so I'm familiar enough with most of the popular hobbies on Earth.

[quadjumps]

What happened, then?

[ he's genuinely curious. yuri's not even going to bother counting his cards; he'll just draw five from his deck and sort them accordingly. ]

[batfortheprincess]

[Oh... he doesn't have a reason to hide his background, not really, but. Hm. He'll draw as well, but it doesn't look like he's paying attention much to what he's holding in his hands.]

My father was a researcher. We traveled all around the world for his work and eventually that took us to the Vers Empire, five years ago. There was some trouble during the trip, but Her Highness, Princess Asseylum, saved us when we crashed into the palace. It's... something I could never forget.

[quadjumps]

So...you feel like you owe her for saving your life.

[ that....well, yuri can't say he'd feel the same, but it makes more sense now that he's heard his story. ]

[batfortheprincess]

Yes. It's why I have sworn my loyalty to her and the royal family. I... wish to be someone she can rely on.

[If his profile weren't any more obvious about how he felt towards her, it. Probably is now.]

[quadjumps]

You like her, don't you?

[ CALLING HIM OUT ]

[batfortheprincess]

[yells internally?!]

I-I... respect and admire her greatly. And regardless, it would be inappropriate for me to think of her in such a manner, considering our positions.

[quadjumps]

But it doesn't change the fact that you like her.

[ DRAGGING SLAINE SO HARD ]

[batfortheprincess]

[Opens mouth. Closes it.

He... he can't lie about this. Because the alternative is saying he doesn't like Princess Asseylum and that's just not on the table?? But at the same time it feels improper to just... say it like that because what he feels is sort of more than that and he's also honestly not sure if just saying he 'likes' her suffices. But he knows when he's fighting a losing battle and as such, oh so quietly:]

Yes. I do.

[you win this round yuri]

[quadjumps]

[ AHA. there we go! yuri's smirking now, pleased that the cat's gotten out of the bag. ]

So what? You're not gonna tell her?

[ i mean. the whole master-servant thing means nothing to him, apparently. that idea's so outdated!! and while he's not into all this lovey-dovey stuff, he's kind of having fun teasing slaine about this.... ]

[batfortheprincess]

[cries harder on the inside]

N-no, of course not! Her Highness has much more to concern herself with than my feelings. Besides, she...

[There's the flicker of... something in his eyes when he trails off.]

[quadjumps]

[ he catches that, and his eyes narrow. slaine...what are you thinking? ]

She's what?

[batfortheprincess]

[He looks pretty hesitant to say anything but he manages to speak up quietly.]

...She's been captured. They're... they're probably going to use her to negotiate politically.

[so he kind of couldn't confess even if he wanted to...]