[ text ]

[tabiya]

Type: text
Sender ID: un; curiouser
To: public
Subject: chess.
Warnings: none. its chess


hi. my name is xehanort.

i want to buy or commission a chessboard. a nice one, with heavy pieces. and i'd like some people to play chess with. i know a few different versions, so i can teach people to play others if anyone wants to learn. it would be nice to be able to meet up and play sometimes.

that's all, i think. please ask any questions if you have them, as well. thanks.

Comments

[lecturer]

An excellent deduction, my good man! Apologies for not saying so - I'm still getting used to this shellphone business and all the ettiquette that comes with it...

At any rate, I agree! I've the feeling you'll keep me on my toes.
It sounds invigorating, indeed. Perhaps you will show me the style you're most familiar with, or some of the others, and we can compare and contrast, yes? A learning experience and a rousing game of strategy, all in one.

[tabiya]

it's alright, you're pretty easy to identify.

i'd say chess is one of my strong points. the standard rules seem to be standard everywhere, which is interesting. my favourite is a variant called alba & ater. it's tied in with some legends from home. the structure makes it difficult to teach, but you'd probably pick it up quickly.

[lecturer]

With legends!
Well, now you are certainly speaking my language.
I'd be delighted to learn - historical context and all.

Have you had much luck in finding other partners, so far? Perhaps you've created the makings of a club.

[tabiya]

it's my best friend's favourite, though he keeps pretending to not know stuff so i have to recite it to him and get distracted. and then he loses anyway. it's silly, but it means i know them like the back of my hand by now.

a club? that wasn't what i intended. i've never been in one before.

[lecturer]

[ hmm. sad, considering that sense of loneliness from their first conversation. ]

Aha. A clever gambit - were it fully fleshed out!
Though, perhaps he just enjoys the storytelling from a dear companion...? I suppose that's just conjecture.

It sounds as if you just may be, though, in terms of forming one.
After all, a club is just a group of peers with a similar interest, is it not?
I don't think I've ever joined one myself, though I suppose technically, any gathering of scholars in a room ought to count all at once... They are bastions of community, something I imagine we outlanders ought to be forming with regularity.

That aside, regular meetings to enjoy a hobby, to discuss stratagems and challenge each other's mettle, to become better as a whole...I certainly think it's exciting!

[tabiya]

[ it IS conjecture, and one that makes him feel weirdly seen, so he's going to ignore it. ]

that's true. it might be a good thing to have some structure. people getting to know each other over a shared hobby, even if we're all from different places.

i might need to get a few more boards, if that's the case.

[lecturer]

[ scrutinizes you scrutinizes you ]

Yes, I should say so!
Do keep me updated. If there's anything I can do to help, say the word and I'll be there with bells on!

[tabiya]

[ > Analyze. ]

probably don't wear bells in the cafe, professor albright. that would count as a distraction.

[lecturer]

[ precisely ]

A turn of phrase, my dear boy! I'll keep all jingling strictly metaphorical.

[tabiya]

i know. it was a joke, professor. maybe it's difficult to communicate sarcasm through text...?