SceneSys: Scene #401

No title.

(2012-12-19 - 2012-12-20)

No description.

Tifa Lockhart	The Card Hall always has a few players around, looking for challengers, or just there to buy new cards from the shop. Its a relatively busy place, with people sitting at the tables and playing, or just being social and like-minded people. Among them, the barmaid from Goug is there, checking up the card collection magazine. Its a booklet with all of the currently available cards, so its interesting to leaf through. Sitting at a table, leaning on one elbow with her nose into the book, more or less, her deck of card within range in case she has a challenger.
Lavi	An unusual sound begins to trickle into the card hall, muted by the soft din of chatter and bustle of the players who have chosen to set up here. At first it is easy to ignore, merely a faint rhythmic thumping, but slowly it begins to build in intensity as the source draws near. Eventually the very ground begins to shake a little and the deep whine of machinery intermixes with the steady thuds. Finally the mystery reveals itself and the doors to the hall swing open to reveal... knees? A pair of gigantic armored legs, white and golden metal worked with intricate gilding and studded with servos and mystical symbols, block out the door frame for a few moments but they are soon replaced by a the rest of the body attached to them as a truly humongous being lowers herself down so as to pass through the woefully undersized portal. Despite how awkward this must be, Lavi manages to slip into the gaming hall with a measure of grace and dignity better attributed to royalty at official functions. Fortunately, the roof is tall enough for her to stand without much difficulty though she does have to mind some of the light fixtures as she rights herself and gives a warm smile to everyone who is probably staring at her with a mixture of confusion and horror. Demigods don't just wander into the room everyday. Clearing her throat, the giantess clasps her thick armored gauntlets behind her back and looks around. "Ah, forgive the intrusion but I was informed that this was a place to come if one wished to discuss stragtegy and tactics." She sighs, mumbling, "But judging by what I'm seeing that is not a particularly accurate statement."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart looks up to the taaaaaaaaaaal demigod girl. She blinks a bit, but smiles kindly. Even outside of her bar, she's friendly and welcoming. She doesn't have any real reason not to, its not in her nature anyway. "Uhm, well, close, but not close enough I suppose. Its not about war tactics of course, or martial arts, but rather card games." She picks up her deck, showing it at eye's level with a smile. "But I don't suppose that's what you were here for. This is entertainment, a game really, no real measure of danger either."
Lavi	The armored titan turns, doing her best not to stomp about and upset anyone in the process as she gives her attention to the person addressing her. She considers this revelation for a moment, realising that the mistake was likely not one of malice but misinterpretation. A hand goes to her chin, the other arm coming up to cup her elbow as she gives a thoughtful hum. "I see. While it is not quite what I had expected, card games do engender a certain attention to detail and strategy that is not entirely wasteful." Lavi smiles again and inclines her head to Tifa slightly. "I do not suppose you would be willing to instruct me in the local arts? A distraction such as this would be a pleasant reprieve."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart giggles softly, but nods at that question "I can help you with starting, sure." She hms thoughtfully "... Although can you even sit down here?" She giggles a bit, not wanting to be rude or anything, actually concerned and thoughtful about the girl's situation "If you want, we only need to pick your starting cards and we can head outside." She offers up, folding the magazine up and leaving it on the table, sliding her deck in the pockets that line the flap of her dress, that dangles in front of her hips.
Lavi	"Perhaps that would be best," she says in agreement. Turning towards the desk, Lavi casts a glance at the staff who is currently manning the counter and gives the young woman a curt nod. Since pretty much everyone in the room is completely enraptured by the conversation going on she already knows what to expect but the shock of being in the presence of someone so large takes a moment to wear off all the same. Snapping back to reality, the girl reaches into a cabinet and withdraws a small starter deck, scooting it across the table as if she were pushing meat towards a hungry lion. Lavi chuckles at this and carefully slides the small box into her palm before ducking out through the door as easily as she entered.
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles and moves after the tall lady carefully, just not wanting to push her either. Outside, the Serendipity spirit is in full bloom as always. Its always a party here, with people dressed as chocobos (the chocoladies), and people moving back and forth the various games, and the chocobo racing circuit as well. Oddly enough, a 10-feet armored person isn't THAT odd comparatively. It all depends on experience and context really. The barmaiden finds a quiet place, under a tree in the middle of a small grassed area, a bit of green admist the otherwise very futuristic landscape. "Here, should be comfy."
Lavi	Lavi steps out of the way as she clears the door and allows the other woman to lead, something that is still rather unusual for her. She had lived for almost two hundred years among the same pristine halls and twisting stairs of the crystal city, knew every curve, every room, and every secret passageway by heart. She could navigate the rolling foothills and the blasted wastelands blind if need be but here... well it only took one or two trips for her steeltrap memory to take in the new paths and locales but she was still learning. Crossing her legs, Lavi took a seat across from Tifa, leaving a wide space between them for the cards. She wasn't quite sure how this game was played. There were a great variety of games that were played in Astoria and some of them could eat up a lot of realestate. Carefully, she opened the diminuative box and withdrew her own starter deck, casually thumbing through the pictures with interest. "Do these figures hold some particular meaning to your people?" she asked idly, stopping to examine the depictions of monsters especially.
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles at the question, picking up her cards "Well, depending on the card, there are many depictions yes. The first levels are normal monsters, that you encounter almost everywhere in our worlds. The midlevels are stronger monsters, commonly known as bosses. Those are more rare of course. Then there are summons, avatars, guardian forces, eidolons... depending on the world you go to, they go by different names, but they tend to be named and look similar in all worlds. And lastely there's..." She scratches her head a bit "Actually those last leevls I'm not sure what they are, but they seem like pretty strong monsters." She shakes her head at that. She sets her cards down, and then pics 5 cards from the top "You play this game by choosing 5 cards from your stash to play with, its called a 'deck'. You use those 5 cards during a single play.
Lavi	Lavi blinks at this information, clearly surprised. "You rank the monsters of your world? That is quite a bizarre practice." She looks at the cards again, examining some of the more fiece looking creatures. "And you say these creatures are common across worlds? How strange. I suppose some of these images do remind me of some of the beasts I encountered in the wastelands though the mutative properties of the magi-radiation were rarely consistent enough that we could classify particular species of monster." The woman took a card from her deck and showed the picture to Tifa, a print of the dreaded cockatrice. "This for example reminds me of a massive raptor that made its nests in the mountains. Its talons were so sharp that it could rend a man in twaine with a single swipe and its beak punched clear through the armor of our mechanized Knights." She closes her eyes for a moment, drifting into the current of memories. "I tracked that monstrosity for two weeks, nearly three hundred miles as it preyed upon the outlying farming villages and trade settlements during its annual migration. When I finally caught up to it while it was feeding on a fresh kill, I broke its beak off and ran it through its heart." Lavi sighed wistfully. "Such exhileration. I find I almost miss it." She shuffles the cards after this and removes the top five, looking to the barmaid again for the next instruction.
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smirks, listening to the story "We don't categorize them as much as knowing that 'this monster is strong' or 'this monster is rare'. Monsters are a common thing, oddly enough. People get attacked, and you learn to protect yourself. I'm a martial artist myself." Though she doesn't really look like one, except for the slight muscle mass that she's hiding. "And then there's also special cards, like Promo cards that are given at special events." She shows her "Serendipity card". (+tt/card Serendipity). "And then there's custom cards. Its the rage right now, in exchange of points you earn by playing, you can get a card modeled after you as well." She shows the card with her own picture on it (+tt/card Tifa Lockhart).
Lavi	Lavi nods at this simple logic. A polite society was an armed society for humanity only seemed to survive the trials thrust upon them with violence or the threat thereof. Sad and disturbing, perhaps, but history had proven this time and time again. The strong ruled. She quirks an eyebrow at Tifa's profession, leaning forward to examine the cards. "You say martial artist as if it were a reference to a specific thing. Is not all warfare of a martial nature? To what school of combat do you subscribe?" A heavily armored finger is leveled at her midsection. "You carry no visible weapons, and yet, you speak of monsters as if they are a common threat. Do you simply choose to travel unarmed or is this place so well protected that armaments are no longer necessary?"
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "Martial Artists commonly refers to those that fight using punches and kicks mostly. Their bodies are a weapon, no need for swords or guns." She rolls a fist and punches her palm, smiling. "But this place is pretty secure actually, it doesn't seem like mosnters are interested in this place, probably because its half in the sky, next to Eden. Even Heartless don't seem to be coming here much." She shakes her head "Anyway, here's how you play the game. You place the cards on a 3x3 grid, one player at a time. You see the numbers in the corner of the card? Those are 'attack ratings'. Basically, its a matter of putting a card with a higher number next to your opponent's. The direction of the number matters here. The upper number attacks a card put over it, the right number attacks a card put right to it." She places a few cards down to demonstrate, putting a card with a left '2' next to a card with a right '5'. "5 is better than 2, so this card wins."
Lavi	The concept of a place so secure and free of danger that armed guards weren't posted at every door was foreign to Lavi. She had noticed their absence upon entering this strange parlour of entertainment but had assumed that it merely had no strategic value or was guarded by powerful weapons hidden away in the walls such at the automated turrets and living golem-armors that stood sentinel in the Crystal City. Well, atleast she could stop worrying about accidentally setting off an alarm. "You fight only with your body?" That rather intrigues the massive giant. Certainly she herself was capable of inflicting terrible damage with her fists but that was only due to the incredible technologies and lost arts that had gone into her creation. Even taking that into account, she had no desire to face one of the fell beasts roaming the wilds without arms or armor. How very incredible. However, her conversation partner seemed more interested in the cards so she turned her attention back to that, taking in the rules at a glance, reviewing the numbers on her own cards for reference. "I see. So the stragtegy lies in providing as many strong fronts as possible while limiting the access to your weaker defenses."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart nods, smiling. Its not that she's interested in cards per say, but she thought that's what the lady wanted to learn about. But she's fine with talking about anything really. "Yes, I use punches and kicks to subdue my opponents. Its a non-lethal way, it suits me just fine too. I can fight with weapons but I'm more at ease with this." She smiles kindly. There's not much malice in this girl, really. She looks down to the cards "That's the basic yes. "You cannot lose cards when its your turn, you can only take cards, so if you don't have a good position, you can always play defensively, walling yourself in a corner with a strong card. But even that doesn't save you from everything, as there are special rules that can play against your stronger cards with weaker cards too. You can choose to play with those rules or not though." She tilts her head a bit. She wonders what this lady been through to apparently know so little about these things. Not the card game that is, but her fighting style. Fighting with one's body is pretty common, even around the mutliverse.
Lavi	"Non-lethal..." Lavi muses, stroking her chin again as she notices the confused look given towards her questions. "Very few things in my world were solved without death. Criminals were usually executed, so there were few tears shed if one was killed while trying to evade capture. Life was hard enough on everyone without thievery, murder, and other such things to worry about. Every living thing beyond the walls of an established settlement was a threat that could end your life in a heart beat. Even the armored walls of a fortress were no guarantee." The giantess returned Tifa's smile with one of her own. "Forgive me if I am upsetting you. It is becoming apparent to me, as I learn more and more of this strange confluence of worlds, that my own home was far from typical and it has made me a rather grim conversationalist." Lavi gestures at the cards again, again soaking up the information given to her in mere moments. "Strength to the one who has initiative. A rather simplified way to express a far more intricate balance. But that is the nature of such games. Continue."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles "Its alright, everyone comes from different worlds, different situations. You just need to learn what's new here, the same that everyone does. Even if the world seems somewhat normal, there are things that aren't common in our worlds, like magic, monsters and such. Every world is different. The multiverse allows us to see the differences more easily." She sets down a few more cards "The different rules change the way you can 'attack' cards. The Same rule, if you manage to put a card next to two cards that have SAME numbers instead of higher ones, you can win both cards. Like if you put like this..." She puts a card with a 3 on the bottom, over a card with a 3 on top. The bottom card also has a 5 toward the left, while the cards next to it has a 5 on the left. "Like this. 3 matches 3, and 5 matches 5. This works as long as there's one opponent card, one of the two cards could be yours. Of course, its hard to predict what cards your opponent uses, but when you see such a possibility, its a boon.
Lavi	Lavi takes this new possibility in with a single nod, already adding this permutation of strategy to her tactical considerations. As a warrior and a general the symbology of these rules was rather clear. Countering force with just enough effort to negate it influence was often more effective than attempting to utterly annihilate every threat that presented itself. In war information was power. Entire battles had been won through deception and misdirection. It was not a perfect analogy but it added another element to consider. "So I am beginning to understand. To think that I would experience such a thing as to walk freely among worlds. Less than a week ago I had no idea that any other beyond my own even existed." She pauses, eyes tightening a little around the corners but says nothing more.
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart nods again "Yeah, me either. Well, its a few months for me now, but same idea. I was just trying to make a living in Midgar when everything went weird. I made new friends, visited new worlds, so its not so bad... but you have to adapt. No use staying stuck with the idea that everything was better before, its not coming back after all." She smiles at that, maybe a bit wistfully even. There things in her own past she rather leave there too. "The Plus rule now, it works similar to Same, you two to put it next to two other cards, but instead of same numbers, you need the two sides to match their sums instead." She works the cards, putting a 3 and a 6 for up and down numbers, the left-right numbers of the two side cards being 5 and 4. "The up and down total to 9 here, while the left and right are also 9. That means that even if your card ratings are lower than your opponents, you can still win with this.
Lavi	Another nod and a glance at the example are given. Seemed simple enough, though this particular rule appeared to be conjured up more for adding a layer of depth to the game itself rather than some battle strategy allegory. The math of war was often far more simple. "Understood."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles softly "Well, that's the basic. There are other smaller rules, like Open, lets you see your opponent's cards before he plays them, but they can also see yours. Elemental, it adds elementals to the board. If the elemental of the card matches, all ratings get +1. If different, even if your card had no elemental attribute, it becomes -1 to all ratings. That onyl affects the 'greater than' rule, it doesn't change the ratings for Same and Plus rules. The Wall rule is an extension to Same, it pretends that all of area 'outside' of the 3x3 are lined with 'A' values, or 10. So you can technically use the Same rule by making a strong 'A' value on your card face the outside of the field. And finally Combo rule, if you use that, any card that you win from using Same/Wall/Plus rules count as if you played it, and can 'greater than' nearby cards. Its possible to win the entire board with a single card like this.
Lavi	"Interesting." Lavi takes all of this in without missing a beat, nodding as if it made perfect sense. "Well, I believe I have a rudimentary grasp of the rules," she says with a warm smile. "But ofcourse, the real test is in the application and the strategy. Would you be so kind as to provide me with some sport?"
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles, nodding "Of course, if you want to play a game, we can play without losing cards. Trading rules allow you to take cards from your opponent you see, but its not necessary. You can play just for fun, and earning points lets you buy and collect more cards too." She picks up her cards, taking out the cards that makes her deck.
Lavi	This thought makes her grin broadly. "Aha! The key element to a grand game is, ofcourse, the element of risk! Of what value is challenge if it carries with it no rewards? However, I think for the time being I shall settle for a mere friendly match. Rushing into battle unprepared is to invite disaster upon oneself." Lavi seems to get energized as the game starts to get underway in earnest. In truth she loved spending time with other people. She had been created to be the ultimate protector and in that one task she had 'ultimately' failed. The stinging irony that she was the only survivor from her world was not lost. That humanity had survived, even if by virtue of the existance of worlds beyond her own, was a great comfort. She reshuffles her deck, turning the pile face down and setting it before her in the empty space. Five cards are withdrawn and she examines them quietly for a moment, mentally preparing her strategy and considering possibilities.
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles "I forgot to mention, the score is the amount of cards that each have of their color, including the cards in your hands. So 5-5 up to 9-1, as the one that goes second will keep a card in their hands. And of course if you play last, that card will never be lost either.
Lavi	"So the challenger has more to lose but is granted the advantage of making the first move and perhaps claiming a superior position."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart nods "The one that starts the game actually is random, no matter if you're blue or red. If you challenge someone, you play as blue, that's all. But there is no advantage to it."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles "Well, if we were using trade rules, I can only take a card that you actually played. Since you have 20 cards in your starter deck, it allows you to lose some and still be able to play at least. Also, you get points for playing so you can buy more cards." She points at the triad hall "There's a shop in there, you can browse through all of the existing cards, buy some, or get a custom card done too."
Lavi	Lavi chuckles as the last card is laid down, holding her hands up in defeat. "It seems my overly aggressive choices were ill suited to a beginner. Well played, young one." She glances off towards the building with a slight frown, wondering if it would be unreasonable to start requesting the installment of bigger doors. Most likely. A hand runs through her thick rugged hair, scratching at the back of her neck as she smiles and asks, "Another round?"
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles, nodding "If you wish." She picks her cards back together for the next round "Let's try with some more rules."
Lavi	Lavi snaps her fingers as victory is narrowly snatched from her grasp. The motion is fast; almost impossibly so, and when the two tips strike together the sound is almost like a gunshot. With her back to the majority of the room, she can't see the inevitable reaction but the sudden tension is practically palpable to her enhanced senses. Rather than make a bigger commotion out of it than necessary, however, the giantess merely acts as if this were completely normal. To her it is. "Your experience once again trumps beginner's luck."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart giggles softly "Oh don't be too hard on yourself now. I honestly don't think there's that much strategy involved, but you need to adapt as the cards get put down. I mean, you cannot predict every card your opponent will play, so you just try to make best of what you have.
Lavi	Lavi nods heartily and clenches her fist in the air, gazing off into an imaginary sunset. She's abit eccentric, shut up. "Ah the unpredictability of battle. Two warriors matching their skill and wits in contest of strength, their fates intertwined in deadly contest from which there can be only one victor. Glorious!" Leaning forward to the tune of whirring machinery and hissing pneumatics, Lavi grins at her own romantic notion of card battle. Perhaps abit overboard. "I thank you for introducing this wonderful game to me..." She slaps a metal palm to her forehead with an audible thud but seems not to suffer any pain for the effort. Everything she does is just on a different scale than most people, apparently. "By the Crystals, I haven't even acquired your name!" Suddenly Lavi is on her feet. One moment she is sitting, the next she isn't; simple as that. She raises a fist and pounds it on her chestplate in a familiar form of military salute, likely startling everyone around them again. "Forgive my lapse of manners. Unforgivable. Please, call me Lavi. I have titles but they no longer have any relevance." She grins. "And to be quite honest it is refreshing to be free of them."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart stands up after you, sweeping her knees from any stands of grass that might stick to her bare legs and the back of her leather shorts. "Oh, no need to be formal. I'm just a normal barmaid." She smiles, and offers her hand "I'm Tifa Lockhart, I own the Seventh Heaven bar in Goug, if you ever want to stop by. I also do mercenary work at times, and you can sometimes find me training my chocobo at the circuit nearby." She smiles warmly, always showing her friendly side. "I don't have any title either, I am just me. That's all there is to it. Pleasure you meet you, Lavi."
Lavi	The offered hand is taken, Lavi's motions clear and measured this time as the mechanized gauntlet encircles it completely. Last thing she needs to do is accidentally rip Tifa's arm off. Someone would likely take offense. Probably Tifa. "A mercenary, a bar tender, and an animal breeder..." She says with an amused look. "Sounds like the start of a bad joke." She shakes her hand a few times and then rubs her chin, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps I might seek your council in finding such work myself - mercenary that is. I was not fortunate enough to have a pile of gold make the transition from my world with me, hahaha."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "That's not a problem, there's always some work to go around. It just been quiet for a few weeks after what happened in Manhattan, but its sure to pick up soon. People just been walking on eggshells and its not pleasant for anyone. That's why things like card games and chocobo racing can take people mind's off things long enough to get a better picture.
Lavi	"Completely understandable. Humans have always sought to bury their troubles behind barriers of illusion and misdirection. Alcohol, gambling, narcotics, games - these are all designed to dull the pain." She turns and glances out over the area, watching people go about their entertainment with a sudden air of seriousness. "Just be sure that you do not become so dependant upon the crutch that you forgot how to walk. Some things should be remembered... no matter how painful they might be."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart shakes her head "No, I wouldn't let me either. That's why I keep training after all, keep in shape, hone my body, so I can be ready for the next time. I just don't run up ahead and look for the 'next time'... Sometimes its better to step back and let things happen first.
Lavi	Lavi grins and the tension disappears just like that. "A wise man from my world once said: 'If there be trouble, let it be in my day, that my children may have peace.'" She turns and plops back down infront of Tifa, somehow managing to do so without putting a huge dent in the ground. "I lived - live - but for one purpose... and that is to safeguard the weak against the predations of calamity and villainy. Every ounce of my flesh, every fiber of my being, is dedicated to battle. I am a god of war given mortal shell and I will endure until the mountains fall and the seas boil away. Or that was the idea, atleast. My creators had a flare for the dramatic." A dismissive wave is given to the air as if clearing way a bad scent that manifested at the thought of the Council. "It is something of an amusing irony to me that should I ever be successful I will put myself out of a job. But I find some small comfort in the fact that humanity will never learn to stop getting in trouble. Good thing I'll live forever."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart hms "Live forever huh? I guess its one worry you don't have, growing older." She sighs a bit "But I guess its about not squandering your time while you can make a difference, hm?" She smiles "Anyway, I should probably go on my way now, starting heading back home before its too late. Fortunatly there's a shortcut to where I live from here."
Lavi	Lavi sighs wistfully and leans back on her palms, sticking her arms out behind her to provide stilts upon which to recline. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, young one. I've seen entire generations of people come and go. Witnessed more battle and death than I would wish upon any soul. And with the Heartless around, I expect to see much more." The old giant nodded by way of farewell, the lower half of her face disappearing beneath the edge of her gorget from the odd angle. "Thank you for the games, Tifa Lockhart. One day you shall have to display for me these martial arts of yours. For fun, ofcourse. Be safe."
Tifa Lockhart	Tifa Lockhart smiles, waving "It will be a pleasure, as long as you're not on the receiving end of it, of course." She smiles, and sways toward the exit, sliding her cards back into her pocket.

This scene contained 42 poses. The players who were present were: Tifa Lockhart, Lavi