Day 43: Game Room, Third Shift

[piggy_king]

Peh. "Graduates." Who were they trying to fool? It's not like anyone here believed them, and no one ever visited the institute. What was the point in keeping up this sad little charade? To add to the realism of it? Well, whatever. If they wanted to continue this exercise in futility, that was fine with Porky. All it meant was that they spent more

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[bullygeneraleva]

Evangeline was more or less of the same mind. The brainwashed patients that turned up at night were proof enough that their captors were adept at bending minds, but it didn't have anything to do with their boring daytime routines here, or the 'doctors' she hadn't even seen yet. All the real work here was being done behind locked doors; what purpose the rest served was anyone's guess. Well, being semi-free to wander around and harass her fellow inmates beat the hell out of being locked up like some lab animal, at least most of the time.

Speaking of which, according to her oh-so-carefully-kept schedule it was now time for her to play with a certain Mr. Minch, one of the many evil geniuses Landel had seemed to enjoy collecting, like some sort of supposedly-rare insect. Actually, a lot like that, when you considered the annoying buzzing sounds they were always making.

Well, that kind of unflattering comparison aside, she at least provisionally liked him about as much as she liked anyone around this dump, so she was looking forward to finding him again. The sparsely-populated game room made it pretty easy, though the whole place reminded her of that stupid chess game and Aidou and that she was starting to get fairly hungry.

She soon located the decrepit villain punching away at some sort of handheld. That made another hobby they had in common, didn't it?

"You like those too?" She asked, forgoing any kind of greeting. Rudeness was next to evilness.

[piggy_king]

Where was that damn long block when Porky needed it? That empty column was just begging to be filled, and he would have gotten at least 4 rows cleared if this stupid-

"Eh?" Porky said, looking up to see who had spoken to him. He thought he recognized that voice, but who could it... "Ah! Evangeline! So good to see you again!"

Porky quickly paused his game and stood up to greet his diminutive friend.

"So, how goes your undoubtedly sinister machinations?" Porky grinned, a little evilly, "Everything falling into place, I hope! Not so for me, unfortunately. You may not have noticed, but it seems like the Pigmask Club has permanently disbanded. Still, though. I have my health, and for that, I am thankful!"

Porky sat down on one of the sofas and patted the seat next to him.

"Well, Evangeline?" Porky said, "There must be some reason you called me out. Care to tell me what it is?"

[bullygeneraleva]

Well, so far as Evangeline's plans went it just looked increasingly like she was going to end up babysitting Chise, but she was hardly about to admit that to just about the only person here who seemed willing to take her on her word that she was a first-class villain. Chise kept talking like she was some sort of barely-controllable superweapon under the idiot girl so with the right spin she probably could have but it was, on the whole, entirely too much trouble. And whatever else she was Chise was just embarrassing by nature.

Evangeline looked at the seat he'd patted distastefully- the gesture struck her as far too ingratiating- but took it. "It's just boring during the day and most of the people here are pretty annoying," she said before moving on to his questions. "Something useful came out of that mess last night, at least," she said, because that much was true. "What happened with yours?"

She sounded vaguely interested, but far from sympathetic. Evangeline did not do sympathy, especially when she'd hadn't thought his plan had stood much of a chance in the first place. He'd gotten off to a poor start with those public arguments over his motives and there was only so much you could do with the bottom of the barrel in a closed system like this anyway, no matter how powerful a mind you directed them with.

[piggy_king]

"Hee hee hee..." Porky chuckled, "So I guess that makes me less annoying than most of the patients here, eh? You're too kind, Evangeline. Then again, saying I'm not as annoying as most of these blithering idiots isn't saying much. As for me...I got something rather...useful last night. I'll show you, but keep quiet, alright?"

After looking around nervously to make sure no nurses were close by, Porky put his right hand into his pants and pulled out his lighter.

"So," Porky whispered, "This ought to come in handy, eh?"

Porky gave a quiet chuckle as he placed the lighter back in his pants, but suddenly grimaced and grabbed his right forearm.

"Ah..." Porky said, wincing a little, "That wasn't the only thing I got last night, though. Take a look at this."

Porky pulled up his right sleeve and showed off his bite wound to Evangeline. It may have looked rather normal, but it still hurt quite a bit.

"I got this from a zombie," Porky said, "At the very beginning of the night, you understand. Didn't have any time to react. Anyway, I managed to get out alive, but not before the deed was done. See, I got infected by the bite. My flesh started rotting off and I start acting like a zombie. The people I was traveling with had to tie me up so I wouldn't try to eat them. It certainly wasn't as fun as it could have been. Anyway, enough about that? We're in the game room, so why don't we actually play a game?"

Porky slowly got himself off of the couch he was sitting on and worked his way over to the chess boards.

"Fancy a game of chess, Evangeline?" Porky said, with a slightly devious grin, "Don't worry, I promise I'll go easy on you."

[bullygeneraleva]

'Not saying much' was about right. For Evangeline most people got divided up into 'tolerable' and 'intolerable'; the notion of treating someone like an equal was essentially foreign to her.

"It could," Evangeline agreed only in the most technical sense, looking at the lighter dubiously. Perhaps for lightning any explosives one might improvise, but on its own it was a good deal less useful than any of the potential improvised weapons she'd had her pick of at the hardware store. Unless, like her, he needed it as an implement for some supernatural ability.

She gave more careful consideration to his bite, though. If the wound was not completely healed, would the effects of the infection linger? She didn't know enough about the nature of the contagion or the healing and suppression that accompanied the night/day transition to really guess.

"You should do the same tonight," Evangeline said, with a lightness that didn't suit the subject in the least. "If the effect returns and you attack someone you could easily be killed."

She matched his grin at the offer of chess easily, though. "Go easy? I'm named Athanasia for a reason, you know. If you can't show me something new you won't win or even keep me entertained."

[piggy_king]

"'Do the same tonight?'" Porky asked quizzically, "Are you suggesting that I tie myself up? My dear Evangeline, I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but I am certainly not a masochist. Besides, the people I was with seemed to understand. I'm sure that anyone that I might attack will notice what's wrong with me and be relatively understanding. Peeved, I'm sure, but understanding.

"'Deathless,' eh?" Porky grinned, "Well, I don't mean to be rude, but you're also quite young compared to me, unless there's something I don't know, of course. Plus, games of strategy are something of a forte of mine. I think I mentioned my skill directing troops on the battlefield the last time we met, right? Anyway, I take it I don't have to hold back against you. It's been a while since I've had a chance to show off my full force here, so I ought to enjoy this...Ah, I'll take black. Personal preference, you understand."

[bullygeneraleva]

"Ha!" Evangeline laughed contemptuously at the idea that he could count on the good nature of anyone he ran into for protection. "These idiots? You saw them blathering on about 'best zombie kills', right? There are plenty of wannabe heroes who won't look twice and psychos who'll be happy for an excuse to kill something mostly human. If you're a real villain you should know that 'relatively understanding' is the last thing you can call the average person. Especially when they're scared."

She was having fun, though, especially with the trash talk over the chess, and only widened her grin when he added that 'unless there's something I don't know.' Imply that there was a lot but say nothing, that was the best way. "You could say these little soldiers who move only by the hand of their master are my forte. The Magus Puparum moves white as easily as black."

It was nice to be able to give self-aggrandizing speeches again after having to hold her tongue every time she introduced herself to the uncomprehending outworlders of the Institute, and she was clearly enjoying the opportunity.

[piggy_king]

"Hm..." Porky muttered worriedly, "You may have a point...I was banking on people...well, not necessarily not wanting to hurt me, but more like not wanting to have someone's blood on their hands...but, I'm traveling with someone tonight, and she knows about my...condition. I ought to be fine."

"And you'd better not doubt my feelings about humans," Porky almost sneered, "I've been treated like shit for my entire life. Not once has anyone ever helped me out of the goodness of their heart, assuming any of those idiots had a heart. Anyway, I can almost guarantee my life has been ten times worse than yours."

"Thanks for worrying about me, though!" Porky said as he grinned and winked at Evangeline, "You must care about me even if it's just a little bit! In any event, let's move on to the game, shall we? Your move."

In a few moments, the game was underway. Evangeline's opening moves were rather standard, but she made the curious choice of bringing her queen out early...mmmm, she was quite rash, wasn't she? No matter. That would only make it easier to beat her. A few moves later, Porky had taken the first piece: a pawn. He looked up and grinned at Evangeline.

"So much for deathless, eh?" Porky chuckled, "And here I was expecting a perfect game from you."

[bullygeneraleva]

Evangeline withheld comment on his claims about the quality of his life. There was plenty she could have complained about with regard to her own, but she had survived it all, and that was more than a great many could say. Lately even that wretched prison of hers had been enjoyable occasionally, and this one had its bright spots too. Besides, she didn't like talking about the past.

And there was the game to focus on. She laughed away his taunt, and responded, "Everything in the world requires sacrifices. Perfection is a foolish illusion. Something chess teaches well. At least a small pawn has a chance of going unnoticed for the length of a game."

With her queen in play Evangeline quickly took a pawn for the one she'd lost, and set about developing her board. Fast on the draw with her queen, and strong in the center... she was nothing if not direct in her play.

[piggy_king]

"Hee hee hee..." Porky chuckled softly, "You underestimate me, my dear Evangeline. I never let anything escape my eyes. If you were counting on trying to trick me into ignoring a piece or something, I'm afraid you'll be in for a rather nasty surprise. You may think pawns are useful..."

Porky took his knight and placed it in a prime position to capture Evangeline's queen, which was quickly moved out of the knight's line of fire.

"...But I far prefer the knight," Porky finally said, "So maneuverable, so...unconventional. Much harder to predict, wouldn't you say? Perfect for a slippery fellow like myself."

In any event, Porky's strategy was finally forming. He had assembled his knights and a bishop right outside Evangeline's little "fortress," and was quite ready to begin his infiltration. It wouldn't prove difficult at all, unless Evangeline was truly as skilled as she claimed she was, which Porky sincerely doubted. Then again, even if she was, Porky was still something like 10,000 years old, and all that time had certainly given him a vast vault of experience to draw upon.

"Well, Evangeline," Porky said, a smile on his face, "It's your move."

[bullygeneraleva]

"But not quite enough to survive," she answered, deliberately declining to specify between the knight and Porky, as Porky's knight traded for her own. Not her best line, but the taunting prattle that had drifted back and forth across the chessboard was suddenly starting to grate on Evangeline's nerves, a sure sign things weren't going so well for her. The trade might have seemed an even exchange to an amateur, but between the loss of her knight and her earlier movement of her bishop out of its dominant position her strong center suddenly looked all too vulnerable.

[piggy_king]

"Oh, dear..." Porky sighed as Evangeline's bishop moved out of its proper place.

Of course, Porky was actually delighted, but he dared not show it. With Evangeline's bishop out of place, there was finally a weak point for Porky to attack. If Porky excelled at anything, it was sensing when his opponent was weak and striking at their most vulnerable points. Within a few turns, Evangeline's precious defense had all but crumbled. There was the pesky matter of Evangeline's ambitious bishop, but that was merely an act of desperation on Evangeline's part, most likely. In any event, Porky's remaining knight and one of his bishops were once again ready to strike.

"So," Porky said almost dully, "What do you think you should do, my dear Evangeline?"

[We're at move 15, for the record.]

[bullygeneraleva]

Evangeline glared. Her play was more intuitive than analytic, but she could see where this was going well enough, and feigning a modest, neutral inquiry only annoyed her. She threatened his queen with a bishop, and after wasting a turn escaping a check took it, but rather than a triumph it was simply the least evil she could see, and resulted in his bishop and knight tearing through a good number of her remaining pieces in a series of alternating checks and captures.

Barring any truly stupid moves on her opponents part, the game was decided, but she couldn't bring herself to say 'concede.' Perseverance meant more on the battlefield than the chess board, though...

[piggy_king]

Well, well...little Evangeline's skill at chess seemed to be all talk. Such a pity. It was clear that she wasn't as young as she appeared to be, but her skill on the chessboard certainly wouldn't be any indication of that. In any event, Evangeline's defensive tendencies had led to her downfall. Porky's aggressive attacks on her formation had reduced her precious fortress to a shadow of its former self. It was clear that Porky was going to win, so what could Porky do to actually make this game fun? Porky had already managed to make things a little interesting with the gambit with his bishop earlier, but that had been a fleeting amusement.

With a bored sigh, Porky used his remaining knight to flick Evangeline's rook off the board.

"Are you sure you want to drag this out, Evangeline?" Porky said quietly and as tactfully as he could muster, "I don't mean to offend, but..."

[bullygeneraleva]

"Then don't," Evangeline said. "You don't seem to have put much thought into your meta-game, Porky, so let me give you a bit of advice: quiet down and finish the game. That's how real chess is played. If you can't win with dignity I won't let you win at all."

This might have been more precisely phrased, 'if you can't win maturely I'll show you exactly how immaturely I can lose,' but Evangeline, of course, did not think of her own reactions as immature. Even the ones that involved the old bishops-in-the-eyes technique.

With a look that promised that the next few minutes were going to be crucial to Porky's near-future well-being, Evangeline got back to running her king around in the rapidly-tightening noose of pieces surrounding it.

[we're at move 33, I believe]

[piggy_king]

"Ah!" Porky yelped when Evangeline glared at him, "I'm sorry to have phrased it like that!"

After looking down at the board for a few moments, a small smile crept onto Porky's lips.

"Heh heh..." Porky chuckled softly, "Very well, Evangeline. I'll stop acting like such a child and treat you like the adult you are! I won't say another word until this game is over!"

Ah, now this was fun! Two opponents, locked in a battle of wits! Who would win?! Just because Porky had the advantage now didn't mean that he would come out on top in the end! Porky couldn't afford to dilly-dally any more. Now it was serious. A drop of sweat crept down Porky's brow as he tapped his chin with his finger and stared down intensely at the board. Hmmm...most of Evangeline's pieces lay dormant, but that queen of hers...it was proving to be quite troublesome...trying to take it would be too difficult, however...ah! Suddenly a huge grin appeared on Porky's face, and within a few turns, Evangeline's queen had been forced into a corner, unable to attack, but also unable to be attacked. Then again, that was fine with Porky.