Mr Illusion and a More Fun Card Game

by **Nephti** on November 10th, 2016, 8:22 pm

8th Fall 516

The Crooked Playhouse reminded her Sayana. She wasn’t certain whether that was a good or bad thing. She wasn’t certain whether that was what kept her there, or drew her there in the first place. What she did know, however, was that at this time of day, it was quiet. Well, not bursting with as much life as it normally did. After all, the play for Ionu had just finished and the crooked seats which she perched on were almost empty, save for the few who had decided to come extra early for the next one, or stayed a little late from the last one, or, like her, found it a nice place to sit.

Something about the irregularity as regular. She tried to puzzle it out as she paced along the seats, trying to gauge distances or angles or whatever else could be the source of the sense of order. Perhaps it wasn’t the rows - they were clearly not made or designed to have any sense of symmetry. Perhaps it was simply the regularity of the stage. Or perhaps the sense of order was more the atmosphere, a sense that all was right.

For a Playhouse, at least, it did have a strong atmosphere of order and divinity and religion. Giving up her futile task, her eyes flickered up to the illusion of moons and stars and sun, some strange configuration of the three that you would only be able to see in Alvadas. That may have been the cause of the sense of order - Alvadas was only right when there was none.

It was strange to think that a season ago, she had been desperate to return to the city of her birth, Ahnatep, with its heat and sun and streets that didn’t shift. She had felt like she had belonged there, until she had returned. There, she had felt so out of place, so unaccustomed to the lifestyle. She walked a different way to get places each time, knowing that was how she would find a place in Alvadas each time. Instead, there she just got lot, unable to find her way through the streets that didn’t move. It was so boring, the houses remained as they were, the city didn’t change around them. It remained with its right angles and ordered rows, and confused her. No wonder she had returned to Alvadas. She wouldn’t feel right in any other city, despite the beauty that came from memory.

by **Nephti** on November 10th, 2016, 8:23 pm

She settled back down, thinking about her visit during summer. She had left her home, with barely a goodbye to her parents. She knew why - her memories, of a beautiful, perfect city, were being replaced with her parents who had been forced to move to a small apartment, struggling to pay their debts, the longing for Alvadas, and the darkness she saw despite the sun. She felt bad for leaving them so quickly. But it was the best choice. She saw the struggle in their eyes when she returned, after the happiness she had brought them. She saw the way her father had to count every coin, how they had hated the pretence they had tried.

They had to understand she had left them for a reason. They had to understand that this was the best way. She could always visit - they could always visit - but their paths had split long ago and she no longer needed them. They no longer needed her.
Looking back up at the light from the fake sky, she smiled, rubbing her gnosis as she spoke to Priskil, her words silent but powerful. Look after them, she thought, look after them as you have looked after me. Give them hope for the future, for I have seen how they are slowly improving. Give them hope that they will have everything they want again, everything they deserve again. She smiled softly. I’ll do my best to give them hope too.

Finally, she opened her bag, taking out the paper and quill she had purchased for this occasion alone. She placed it on her lap, hesitating with the quill over it, trying to think of the right words.

by **Nephti** on November 10th, 2016, 8:24 pm

“Thought you’d left the city for good.” Nephti jumped at the voice, her thoughts and prayers broken by the familiar noise, and the quill shifting and scratching a long line onto the paper.. How long ago was it since she had heard it? Several seasons, at least. But she could remember it, clearly, like she remembered the owner of the voice, who stood behind her. That was, if she was thinking of the right voice. She still hadn’t turned around. Blushing a little at her lack of response, she turned, hurriedly hiding failed letter.

It was him. His eyes were still dark, glinting with that amused expression, and his hair, still white was cropped a different way, the front part flopping over his forehead. “I!” she exclaimed, pushing her things deep into her bag out of embarrassment, “I thought I’d never see you again.”

His face beamed, pulling her back down to sit next to him. “You were the one who left the city,” he nudged, trying to snatch the letter before she pushed it down fully. She slapped lightly at his wrist, with the boy faking hurt. “What is that?”
Nephti blushed again, stammering, “Nothing- it’s nothing, really. I just - I…”
“Is this something to do with your disappearance?”
“How do you know about that? If you knew, why didn’t you say bye?” she changed the subject, clearly avoiding talking about it.
“I heard afterwards. I was… busy before that, I’m sorry.”
“You can’t just kiss a girl then not talk to her again.” But the smile on her face told him she didn’t care.
“Clearly, I managed to do that for several seasons. It may have been made easier by your departure though. Where did you go?’
Sighing, Nephti gave in, “Ahnatep. My home, before Alvadas.”
“Then you decided that this was the better city and came straight back. I like it,” he chuckled, flicking his hair out of his eyes for a second before it settle again.
“Something like that,” she nodded, before flicking out a pack of cards, “Let’s play something.”

Clearly inspired by the game from yesterday, she picked out the major deck, leaving the minor cards which she shuffled quickly. “Stammer and Blush?” she suggested, the only game she knew how to play.
Mr I shook his head, “That’s all you’re doing! Nah, that game’s too much gambling and money - no fun, if you ask me. Nah, the best game is Bullshyke.” He took the cards from her, shuffling them slowly and illogically, “Pass me another pack - it’s more fun that way!” Then, looking around the Playhouse, he called out, catching the attention of everyone in there. “Who wants a game of Bullshyke?” And surprisingly, people came over, settling all around them. They were any gender, race and age, but all looked excited for a quick, easy game.
How did everyone she seemed to meet in this city manage to summon crowds to play card games with them?

by **Nephti** on November 10th, 2016, 8:25 pm

“Rules are simple,” he spoke, passing cards out as quickly as he could manage. Laughing at his inability with them, she snatched them off him, flicking them out with much more skill than he did, while he continued to explain. “You can place cards that are the same value, or the value above or below the previous one. You can put as many as you want, face down, and the best part is that you can lie. If you think someone is lying, yell out “bullshyke”. If they were, they take the deck, if not, you do. Aim is to get rid of all your cards. Let’s play - I start!”

He placed several cards down, calling out a value and people filed in after him, acting quickly. Nephti followed suit, placing three eights down, and claiming such. Mr I looked at her, eyebrow raised, before deciding to call bullshyke. She flipped them over, laughing at his failed guess. Smirking at her, he pulled up the cards, before placing seven eights down. No one dared contest him, and the circle spun back round, ending on a six for her turn. She had none, but refused to let it show, picking out a single ace and using that instead.

By the time it had come back round to her a fourth or fifth time, she had stopped counting cards, stopped thinking about each play - it wasn’t that sort of game. Instead, she placed card after card down, bluffing when she felt she had to and when she thought she could get away with it, calling bullshyke on Mr I whenever he was too forward. He always grinned in a certain way when he cheated - he wasn’t hard to read.

Others were harder, but everyone had their own flaws. The person opposite her played quicker than usual, the person next to them had organised their cards so it was easy to tell when they were taking the wrong cards. Either that, or they forgot which cards were in play and what was obvious.
She called bullshyke again for the kid a few years younger than her, wondering why he had bothered. Last round she had done the same when he had tried to place three fives - didn’t he realise she had six of them?

Cards were passed from hands to hands, Nephti certain she had managed to see every card from both decks at some point during the game. People dropped out, then joined back in when they called bullshyke anyway and took the deck back. By the time she managed to finally put her card down and “win” the game (several people had already been out and in a few times), there had been several more people joining her.

by **Nephti** on November 10th, 2016, 8:26 pm

They flipped through games, occasionally deciding to start new ones and people added their own decks, making things even more chaotic. Then someone made up a new rule, about how cheating extended to more than placing the wrong cards down. All of a sudden, people were hiding cards up their sleeves or placing stacks much bigger than what they called on the pile. The amount of times someone called bullshyke shot up dramatically, and the Playhouse was full of noise - laughter, shouting and of course, bullshyke. Nephti herself hid several cards in her other cards, claiming a few more victories this way.

They barely noticed the crowds of people entering for the next performance until an actor came up to them asking them to pay if they were to stay for the show. Slowly, they picked up their own things, scattering their own ways, despite the fun games they had had. Nephti and Mr I left together, one of the last groups to go.

“That is a fun game,” Nephti smiled at the boy, thanking him for teaching her about it.
“See? Much better than Stammer and Blush. When did you learn to play that anyway?”
“Yesterday,” she blushed, “What other games are there?”
Mr I chuckled, “Loads. You can pick loads of them from the sailors - they learn them from all over. There’s always a game round the docks. Always a game anywhere, if you want one. Remind me to show you some more another time, ‘kay?”
“Why not now?” she pleaded, not wanting to return to having to do the right thing. She was enjoying simply being young and not caring.
“Because we have stuff to do.” Nephti opened her mouth to protest, but he shushed her. “See you around, okay?”
She nodded, falling silent. “Don’t disappear again. Okay?”
“Never wanted to!”

Then he disappeared, leaving her alone in this city. But it was home, and she would never feel alone.

And that was what she had missed.

by **Yisanareysin** on December 26th, 2016, 1:45 am

The ssssssnake hassss your gradesssss...

Nephti

Skills

Lores

Comments
A really neat thread. Nephti should host an open card tournament at some point so all the Alvadas PCs can fling cards at each other.

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Completed Mr Illusion and a More Fun Card Game