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The Game Begins: Redux [Open 1/3]
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Post by Chie Takamoto on Apr 27, 2018 6:02:51 GMT
Amelia spoken to Chie as if she had a choice in the matter, while in Chie's mind it was obvious her thoughts were dead set on she didn't. However the subject of her brother's involvement was a tricky subject and one she figured better to make sure Amelia has no sympathy for him whatsoever. "Don't feel a shred of sympathy for my brother. He's been banned from the work kitchen for well over a year. What happened was a separate story. He wasn't fond of having a 'golden child' sister."
Chie stopped herself in her tracks, realizing that she might come off as a little egotistical, she wanted to correct that immediately. "My brother is a miscreant in a few ways, bad grades didn't help. I studied and did everything right as best as I could so I could do what I love, cooking. My brother got jealous of how I was treated by our parents. Better allowance, more free time that I never used much of, but apparently later bed time drew the straw. Not sure why."
Chie checked her phone again, she scrolled to her contacts only to see that it had been weeks since she had contact, and even then, it was to ask for a loan. She didn't know what he was doing now, but she figured it was something like gambling or worse. A tear almost shed but she remembered what terrible thing he did. "One day, my parents decided to go out for lunch. All that was needed was to bake for a special order, a large one. I had to use the bathroom as I put the last batch in. My brother stupidly forgot the CC cameras, and ironically poor timing. My father had just come through the doorway checking up on me as he instead saw my brother dumping the batch of cookies, a gluten free batch, out the window. Following that, he was sent to military school and barred from the work kitchen."
Chie refocused herself on the board, plotting her next moves out carefully as she plotted out her next move. "Difference between children and adults is a blurry one. Sometimes the situation calls for a different approach, have you studied eastern colonization of the west? Children of ages twelve to thirteen were married so they could reproduce before disease killed them. In Germany, soldier ages dropped consistently as they got boxed in. I worked in the bakery so it wouldn't go to ruin."
She grabbed a pawn as she moved it forward. "Pawn to C3"
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Amelie
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2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
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Post by Amelie on Apr 27, 2018 18:35:03 GMT
Well. That was the time Amelie was rendered decisively speechless. Her brother's story had definitely been a tale that she hadn't expected nor predicted. Were things that... wrong? This wasn't going to be a situation that would be unraveled easily. Or... unraveled at all, honestly. "Your decisions are your decisions, in the end." She simply said. The brunette would have shrugged too if she didn't risk appearing impolite. "I will respectfully disagree with the point you have exposed, but I won't argue them. Would feel like I am overstepping my boundaries if I would. Already said what I meant to, anyway."
Second thoughts weren't something common for Amelie, but with the look, this conversation was having, it just wouldn't end well. Instead, she focused on the board once again. Well, at least the next move was quite obvious; her bishop was threatened and she had to get it out of the way unless she wanted to hand it in a silver platter to... a pawn. Yeah, not happening in a million years. Nudging it slightly, she moved it back to C5. "Your move." Maybe remaining silent in the face of the whole revelation was unpolite? She couldn't be sure, but still...
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Post by Chie Takamoto on May 1, 2018 1:48:58 GMT
Chie started to wonder if she really did have a choice, this world seemed to have given her a bad hand by constantly throwing her under some bus. She wondered what options did she have, it was not like she could just leave it behind, or could she? Deciding to be indirect, she would ask Amelia a question. "But say you were in my situation, if you knew you could just leave the situation behind to restart your life someplace else, but abandon what little you had. Family and everything, would you honestly want to do it?"
Do at the receiving end of this conversation, biting his lip, couldn't help but fill in the last dot as he figured out what she was trying to say. He didn't get to see much of her home life, but from the stories and sounds he heard, he himself wouldn't let Chie stay there if he had power to change that fact.
Focusing back on the chess board, Chie focused on her next move as she touched her leftmost knight. "Knight to E3"
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on May 2, 2018 14:27:46 GMT
Huh, well. That was a pretty interesting question, actually. Amelie face conveyed that she was slightly thrown back by the suddenness of it. It took her a while to think about it; more than her next move, even, given that she had already a hand on the pawn she was currently going to move to E5. In fact, she moved the piece just to get that out of her mind before beginning to formulate her answer. "You know, that kind of thing is something that you'd have to resolve by yourself, but..." Her voice trailed off a bit; what she was going to say could be perceived as rude or blunt. Or maybe both. "I can't really say I'm looking at the face of a happy person, nor one that'd be happy on the foreseeable future. Everyone has their priorities; some value their families, some their jobs, and some themselves."A simple truth, and a decent preface of her true opinion. "I don't exactly know the depth of your situation, but if I were you, I'd ponder about what would be more fulfilling to me; and now, I'd say that your current lifestyle is a bit... wanting, in that sense."Was that an appropriate response? Maybe. The gears in Amy's mind began to move, and while she was wondering about a certain thing, it was probably something best left for later. She believed that right now there were more pressing matters.
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Post by Chie Takamoto on May 3, 2018 20:34:01 GMT
Chie listened to what Amelia was suggesting, and started to wonder when she ever did something self fufilling. She never actively tried to do something fun for a long time, not even in her habits. Besides news, all she watched on TV if she had time were cooking shows, she worked, cooked, and barely slept. None of which was fulfilling after a while as it became a rut. She was trapped in a world without joy and only as Amelia pointed it out from what little details shared, did Chie start to see a bigger picture.
"I see your point. But what can I do? Honestly, between a delinquent brother, a drunk father, and trying to fill my mother's shoes, I'm the last thing I need to think about. Happiness is a luxury that I had to discard for my own good."
Analyzing the board, Chie slowly plotted out her next move, Do was not exactly pleased listening. He himself sacrificed many things for others, but that was always for the good of others. From the sound of it, he believed Chie was sacrificing herself, so others can slowly kill themselves. Within the digivice, his claws tightened as his feelings gathered. All this time he thought Chie was just cold, but now he started to see, she too was hurting inside but can't show it.
Chie moved moved the untouched pawn in front of the rightmost knight forward. "Pawn to G4"
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on May 3, 2018 21:09:15 GMT
It wasn't a happy situation, that much Amelie could guess. It was true that maybe she had no other choice than to stay with her family, whether due to the love she felt towards them or just duty. She could understand those sentiments, even though in their current application, they would probably lead Chie to eventually have a breakdown... or something worse. That concern showed on the brunette's expression pretty readily. It just had the look of something that wouldn't end well if it kept being like it currently was. "Well, you just asked whether or not I'd take a method to escape your current life if I were you, and I think my answer was leaning pretty clearly towards yes, wasn't it?" For a second, she adopted a thoughtful posture, giving a small peek at the board. Amy identified an obvious move; using her pawn to capture one of hers. Was that the correct answer, though? She didn't feel like it was. "There's plenty of ways to get help if you need them, you just need to know where to search for them."Heck, given her girl's gentle disposition, she would probably offer her own if her opponent showed genuine desire to get out of her current life. "I don't see happiness as a luxury, but as something to strive for. What are your expectations of life, if those aren't attaining happiness? Never say that forfeiting it was for your own good. I don't have to know your whole situation to say how erroneous that notion is."Gently, Amelie nudged one of her pawns from F5 to F4. "Your move."
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Post by Chie Takamoto on May 4, 2018 1:15:54 GMT
The notions of expecting anything in life seemed absurd to Chie, she studied a small bit of philosophy and agreed with a bit of Nihilism. She understood life was about coming into existing and to die, potentially reproducing in the process while the husk left behind rots to support the world. However the thought crossed her mind, since she dropped out of school, what did she strive for? Her goal of culinary school shattered, what was left for her? To watch things go to hell and her to inherit what's left? Shrugging it off, she wondered what place she had in this world.
"At some point, everyone makes sacrifices, parents give up dreams for their kids, elderly have to retire, and children have to grow out of their obscene dreams. The notion of giving things up is the idea of living."
Chie questioned her own words, she wondered if she meant that it was pointless to seek happiness, or did she honestly believe the point in her life to chase dreams was over? Shuddering the question, she focused her thoughts back to the board at hand. She reached for her knight as she prepared to charge. "Knight to D5"
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Amelie
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2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on May 4, 2018 3:48:21 GMT
Were Chie's words the truth, though? For Amelie, they couldn't be farther away from the truth. Her argument, at least as a justification, was as flawed as they came. She just couldn't... understand why somebody could have such a skewed perception of reality, and couldn't but shiver at the notion of someone really believing what she said. "What for, then? It's true that, as we grow up, we need to leave some of our dreams and aspirations behind, but that doesn't mean we're not chasing anything, or have something driving us forward. But... what about you? Do you have anything to look forward to? Anything that at the end of the day leads you to say 'what I gave up wasn't in vain'? Because, by the sound of it, you're just living emptily." She made a small pause, recomposing the slightly strained tone of her voice. "I just shudder at imagining how it must be; not having anything to strive for or to work towards. The notion of just surviving as a passerby when things could be so much better is... concerning, to say the least."Chie's movement was as strange as they come; Amy herself thought she was walking into some sort of strategy or trap, given that she pretty much had handed her knight on a silver platter. She considered her next moment for a second, trying to think about how the raven-haired teenager could seize the loss of that piece in her favor, and in the end, decided that... whether the trap, the situation was just too good to ignore. Grasping her pawn at C6, she moved it towards D5, capturing Chie's knight. Amy collected the piece and placed it besides the pain she had captured some movements ago.
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Post by Chie Takamoto on May 4, 2018 4:54:23 GMT
As the girl called Chie's current way of life empty, all Chie could do was shake her head, she had no words to respond with as there wasn't a single contradiction she could find. However she started to see how far up the ivory pillar the girl was on, no, Chie looked around, and realized almost everyone was on an ivory pillar compared to her. She couldn't even recall putting up a fight about giving up her education, outside of the repetitive day in, day out, she couldn't recall a single moment doing it for what she loved.
True, money is a necessity, and she had a passion for culinary arts, but she didn't want the latter solely for the former. She looked to her mother's wedding band she wore on her finger, and wondered what her mother would do if she saw Chie in this state. Probably smack her father upside the head, straighten out her brother for a short time, and find a way to start fixing everything while still being able to have dinner ready. Chie didn't realize she was speaking aloud. "This band, it was my mother's, I keep it with my so my brother wouldn't pawn it off at a cheap store. I'm no substitute, I can't hold a candle to what she could do.."
However her thoughts drifted back to why she was working. She couldn't think of what she was working towards, with nothing coming to mind. She couldn't see any light for herself, she felt her chest tighten as breathing became difficult. However she decided to try and explain how she felt to take her mind off her physical symptoms. "It's easier than you think, I had no time, every day I was baking every day, alternating between special order and storefront goods, regardless of who's shift it was, mine or my fathers. Then I spent the night cooking before studying culinary arts and sleep. I had no time for extra luxuries like happiness."
Do was not having it any easier tolerating listening to what Chie was saying. Although there was something that he wanted to check, something Chie wasn't hinting at too obviously. He started to wonder why fate crossed their paths, but for a moment, he thought he figured it out.
Chie's eyes drifted to her Queen as she moved it over to the left, two spaces. "Queen to D3"
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on May 4, 2018 17:30:03 GMT
Had she gone too far? Was Amelie being too insensitive? She wasn't sure if being this blunt would result in anything good or just on Chie standing up and just leaving her where she was. Maybe the brunette could've presented her argument in a more sensitive way, but did that make her points any less accurate? There was no way for her to be sure, given that her knowledge about Chie's own situation wasn't deep. But still... The band on her hand was a grim reminder of the situation. Sure, her hand was currently as bad as it could be, but just forfeiting everything else due to that was something Amy just found unacceptable. May as well forfeit your life in the process... even though she wasn't going to say that out loud. "Honestly, you don't need to be a substitute of your mother. You're your own person; why would you want to be someone else? Not to say, that she probably wasn't in the process of working until burning out when she was your age, am I right?"This conversation was obviously making her opponent uncomfortable; that much she could appreciate. Should she keep her stance, or just relent? In her mind, the choice was to just... face this; no need to be a genius to know that Chie would just collapse from stress if she kept doing what she did. No human being could bear such a weight, especially being that young. "You know. It being so easy is a bit... concerning." The phrase stopped right there; elaborating wasn't something she wanted to do at the moment. Maybe later. For now, she focused on the board and decided to do... something that seemed very risky. but that potentially could be worth it. "I think you should get out of your 'comfort' zone, if I can even call it that. It'll be good for you."Thus, she grasped the Bishop that had been on C5 and moved it directly towards F2, capturing another pawn while threatening Chie's king in the process. "Check. Your move."
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Post by Chie Takamoto on May 6, 2018 5:51:18 GMT
Chie wondered at what point did she say everything was easy. She defined it as simple and agreed with empty, but at no point did she say it was easy. Giving everything she was striving towards was not easy. After Amelia mentioned the word easy her hands started trembling. "Easy.... You think it's easy for me? I've had two days off since my father started having drinking problems and for both days I worry like hell that I'm not gonna have a home to return to!"
Chie tried to keep her calm, but she couldn't stand being told to get out of her comfort zone, when right now she was absolutely out of her comfort zone, and almost out of her mind. Taking a breath she calmed herself down, brushing hair out of her eyes. "Sorry about that outburst, just worried my father's conscience is screwing everything over. My cousin is not fond of prolonged exposure to him. So her running out the door is not beyond my expectations. So forgive me if I don't see a comfort zone."
Without the stress of maintaining the business occupying her thoughts, she got stressed over maintaining herself. If there was anything this conversation had shown her, it was that how far she lost herself. Taking momentary respite from those thoughts, Chie started to feel a little nauseated, counted that to stress and the strain from recent injuries. Making the obvious move, she took her king and captured the bishop. "King to F2"
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on May 6, 2018 7:46:21 GMT
Amelie's reaction to Chie's words was... a pretty weird face. Wasn't she the one who had told her moments ago that forfeiting her previous life in order to slave day and night had been 'easier than what she thought'? And now, was having an outburst about something she had told her moments ago... Well, if this wasn't a sign that things were terribly wrong, she didn't know what else could be. Remaining silent, she decided to focus on the game instead, even though her next move was more than obvious; she moved a pawn from E5 to E4 almost immediately. That was one of those rare moments where she hadn't hesitated on making a move, and that could only mean things were going pretty... well for her. Or that she was using a bravado in order to compensate for the loss of her bishop; either or. "No need to apologize. I'm sure you're hearing things that you might find pretty hurtful, probably during a game that's meant to be relaxing rather than stressful. I understand if you don't want to talk about this anymore, or if you want to change the topic towards something more... friendly, I guess."Ultimately, that was the verdict on the situation; an unwelcomed opinion was probably among the most useless things the brunette knew about. May as well save those for herself.
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Post by Chie Takamoto on May 6, 2018 21:48:02 GMT
Chie felt lost in the world,as if she had no place. What does she still have in common with anyone else these days? Even changing the topic now couldn't help, not after seeing how far she's been affected. She tried to focus on anything but came up flat. Even when she was younger she never knew what others were interested in. After all, her fond memories involved a stove, so what good would getting out do. "Honestly, a change of subject would be nice..."
Chie remained silent as she herself didn't know what to speak about. She focused on the chessboard as she made her move, going from defensive to offensive, taking a risk she moved her queen to be able to strike in the next move. "Queen to B5. Check!"
Do was finding his emotions getting riled up, he slowly started to defuse himself as riling himself up out loud would only hurt Chie. If there was anything the last five minutes shown him, it's that he doesn't want to see her, no, he swore to himself she wouldn't ever feel that sorrow again, so help him god. "I thought my luck was rotten. Who hasn't stabbed this girl in the back besides the dead?"
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on May 7, 2018 3:24:34 GMT
At least they could get away from those... topics. Amelie could see the damage her words had dealt, and honestly regretted being so insistent about the topic. This was just a game, and what the brunette was doing at the moment seemed to be something that exceeded any kind of good practices regarding sportsmanship and treating an opponent fairly. So, instead, better to go for the things they had in common. At this moment, they were few; and could be nailed to... yup! Chess. "By the way... who taught you how to play chess? It's pretty weird to see somebody as young as you looking for a game in the park." Was that making a stereotype? Probably, but... most of the people who challenged Amy were mostly... really old people, but she guessed that playing chess in this kind of environment wasn't something young people at this time and age would fancy, despite her finding it relatively relaxing. Once again, she eyed the board. Well... so much for her plan. Now her king was risking capture if she didn't do something about it. Amelie seemed to ponder her options for a bit, finally opting to use her rightmost bishop to shield the king. She moved it from C8 to D7. "Your move."If anything, it seemed like she was immersing in the game quite a bit!
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Post by Chie Takamoto on May 7, 2018 14:42:59 GMT
As Amelia tried to change the subject from Chie's dysfunctional family and life, she couldn't help but sigh at how around the corner that line was. For it was her late mother who taught her how to play chess, it was one of her last ditch attempts to get Chie to have a life outside of the kitchen. Which unfortunately failed on the grounds of Chie having no friends and her brother and father don't even know how a pawn moves. Chie barely moved an eye as she spoke with a melancholy tone. "It was my mother who taught me."
However the subject of age was a peculiar one, Amelia didn't look that old. Interestingly enough, she made a comment towards that point alone. "As young as me? What about yourself, you don't look that much younger than I am." Chie eyed the board as she plotted her next moves, moving eyes along the board, she saw an opportunity and chose to take it. She touched her queen as she moved it to the right, capturing the pawn as she moved it to in front of her side of the board. "Queen to D5"
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